Our 2025 Overview of the Los Angeles Halloween Scene
- Thom the Curator
- Nov 12, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Nov 13, 2025
2025 was a mixed bag of trick or treats for fans of the spooky season in Southern California. Whether your pursuits were in immersive theatre, theme parks, family events, haunt attractions or adult-oriented fare, what you ended up with in your pillowcase was either a delightful full-size candy bar or a disappointing note saying “Sugar is bad for you…so here’s a tooth brush.”
The season also had a noticeable decline in entertainment options this year, which is a trend that Halloween Scene Los Angeles hopes will reverse in coming years. Gone are the days when there were more options than nights in the month. As a result, some tickets were harder to come by and more expensive for the best presentations, which we’ll start with here.
The true and really only highlights of the year came in the form of theatre. Both immersive and traditional forms were found across the city.
Theatre
Three shows absolutely dominated the Halloween Scene in L.A, in 2025 – two of an immersive style and one traditional. Each, in its own way, reminded us of why we love Halloween season entertainment when it is offered at its highest level.
“Poe-Etique” the immersive highlight of the year was introduced by Skiptown Productions in a hanger-like facility near Dodger Stadium. The mix of acting, dance and strong story - not to mention nearly three-hours of live performance – made this a remarkable evening for lovers of Poe and interactive spooky theatre. While the setting, effects and staging were powerful, it was the next-level performances of the talented cast that had us most blown away.
“The Willows” returned to an eerie mansion (their new home) in West Adams with their cerebral, intimate and stunning production. The immersive experience across multiple floors and rooms in a pitch-perfect setting ideally suited for the scary and timeless narrative was mesmerizingly special and invited you to not just watch but participate, and quite often, at the highest levels.
“Dracula: The Musical” at the reportedly haunted Nocturne Theatre was a spectacular achievement of both acting and singing. Staging the smooth and spicy show in the round brought the audience in close to the Vampirian action. No, it wasn’t really immersive – aside from some close encounters with the cast - but it was a thrilling reminder of what a great story and top-level acting performances can achieve. Imaginative costuming, special effects and a terrific live band all added up to a wonderful offering of live theatre.
Adult Events
It seemed like every bar and club in Los Angeles had some type of themed event for the Halloween season. Whether it was simply seasonal decorations, animatronics and special effects, dry-ice cocktails, roving performers interacting with the guests, or full-fledged performances - from macabre poetry readings to naughty burlesque shows with an October flair - there was something out there every night for the thrill seekers.
Only one, however, made our best-of list for 2025, and that was the intriguing, dress-up-for-the-occasion mix of extended happy hour and cabaret entertainment called
“Haunted Soiree: VAMPIRE.” Held at the mysterious and very spooky Nocturne Theater in Glendale, the 21+ multi floor experience featured mini-shows, roving characters, musical acts, visual effects and full-fledged arial and terrestrial performances on the main theatre stage. And, yes, to be sure, there were copious amounts of adult beverages too for the snazzily attired attendees.
Other Memorable Events
“Zombie Joe’s Urban Death” – Combo maze, theatrical production and one of a kind show that was parts disturbing, part shocking and all original.
“Night of the Jack” – A tribute to all that is gourd-like which offered a mile-long themed pumpkin trail in the Calabasas hills. The night, the chill in the air and the light show made this family-friendly event a winner.
"Delusion: Harrowing of Hell" - Though not at the peak form seen in past years' Delusion productions, this downtown immersive follow had clever special effects, a fantastic setting and a committed cast making the production one we were not going to miss.
“People in the Dark” – Though the actual show was far too short, the preceding eerie tour around downtown and the quality of acting once the ghost-like “show” began gave us hope that this new entrée in the Halloween entertainment Scene might have legs for the future.
Not So Memorable
Theme parks did their annual makeover thing this season as they always do, but overall the vibe was that it’s the same old thing. With outrageous ticket costs and longer than long lines to get into the mazes and haunts, in our opinion, and backed-up by numerous online reviews, there was really nothing special to see in 2025. Theme parks clearly need to step up their Halloween game plans if they hope to retain their loyal but growing less-so audiences.
Similarly, the familiar Haunt Attractions and Mazes that return every year, in venues from malls to warehouses to an ocean liner, were lackluster, long-in-the-tooth and sometimes outrageously overpriced for what they offered. The ones Halloween Scene attended were not much to get excited about, but being optimistic, we hope some will be back with fresh approaches and storylines next year.
Trends
The only noticeable trend, and it was a big one, was the continued takeover of formerly top-quality shows by corporate entities. Hey, we get it, you’re a great show year after year and when the corporate moneyman knocks on your door to say “We’re here to support your show,” it’s hard to say no. Unfortunately, the result is almost always the same: engorged ticket prices, shorter, get-em-in-get-em-out productions and much less of the originality and specialness that made the production attractive to their new cash-cow partners in the first place.
RIP…until they’re not
We longed for some of the finest productions of the past, with the one we missed the most being “Wicked Lit” which was in many ways the best in Halloween entertainment. The shows were long, story-driven, excellently acted and held in an actual cemetery. Alas, they are gone for now but there’s always a murmur in the night air that they shall return for another October sometime in the future. We also missed “Creep” this year, and hope JFI brings their spine-tingling experience back for another run at some point.
Until Next Season
Halloween Scene Los Angeles takes a nice nap now but will return next August for the spooky season. In the meantime, please look to our new site Immersive Scene Los Angeles which will cover all of the year-round options for seekers of immersive theatre, shows and events.
