Being as how this past weekend was the weekend before Halloween, it was only fitting we do something spooky. And what’s spookier than visiting some of the local home haunts in Orange County, to see the hard work these folks put into their yearly tradition? We are constantly blown away by the ingenuity and scale that home haunts accomplish, and this year was no different.

Saturday night, we devised a home haunt jaunt to see three of Orange County’s premiere home haunts, and we were not disappointed! Each of these haunts are free, but there are suggested donations for each on site. We highly recommend donating to them so they can keep doing what they do!

Shout out to our friends at SoCal Haunt List for their handy guide this season, which is readily available at most of these haunts!

PIRATE’S CAVE

Located in Orange, CA, The Pirate’s Cave has been operating in some form or another since 2000. We showed up just before they began their run on opening night to a line that was getting longer and longer as the minutes ticked by. Right off the bat, Pirate’s Cave exterior design treats us to visual delights. There is a ton of stuff to see as soon as you get in line, with a pirate skeleton steering a boat wheel on the roof of the house and various projections & animatronics to keep us occupied.

After a modest wait of 15 minutes or so, we were greeted by the Captain, who laid some ground rules of the experience before taking us into a mine shaft. What followed was a great, three-minute walkthrough that truly tested the limits of what a home haunt could be. We were blown away by the effects and scares these folks packed into a relatively small space.

Each show scene offered something new and exciting, from the opening story told by the animatronic skeleton, to the attack by the Kraken in a room that made it seem like we were underwater, to the fake out room where we were stick in a dead end. Seriously, I was EXTREMELY impressed with what they pulled off, and cannot wait to go through it again. Their consistent theming throughout the experience was great, and I didn’t want it to end. Great scares and great effects.

The Pirate’s Cave is located at 2548 E. Garfield Avenue in Orange, CA. They are open for just two more nights, October 31st & November 1st. For more information, visit them at: http://www.piratescavehaunt.com/

GERSHON DUNGEON

Our next stop was just a few miles south to Gershon Dungeon, where they have been operated since 1991! This is the first year we’ve heard of it, so we definitely were anxious to check it out. We were impressed right off the bat by the gigantic animatronic dragon lording over the castle facade entrance. As the story goes, every year around Halloween, ghosts and ghouls can be heard from the “dungeon” located beneath this space, and we were going to see what it was.

After a fun opening sequence that involved a talking bust and a cool “elevator” ride to the depths of the dungeon, our small group was set loose into the bowels of the dungeon. Though they were not consistent with the dungeon theme, it didn’t matter at all. We got lost in the twisty turny tunnels of this haunt, allowing for plenty of tight corners and fantastic scares. We laughed, we screamed, we crawled, and we got the heck scared out of us.

There were some really clever scares in here, and a lot of times we did NOT seem them coming. More of a traditional haunted house of the days of old, Gershon Dungeon was a gem. It felt VERY long, too, almost 10 minutes to walk through it all, and we loved every minute of it. Highly recommend!

Gershon Dungeon is located at 13861 Gershon Pl, in Santa Ana, CA. It will be open on October 31. For more information, visit them at: http://www.thegershondungeon.com/

BOOT HILL

Our final stop of the evening was one of our personal favorites, Boot Hill, located in Irvine, CA. Celebrating 20 years of fear, Boot Hill is a classic, must do every Halloween season. When we got there, the line was already an hour and a half deep, which goes to show you how popular it is! Boot Hill features a nice, pleasant opening that ramps up into a scare after relentless scare. Despite knowing where they are going to come from, the scares get me EVERY TIME. It’s so, so good.

Also, as my son said when we left, Boot Hill is VERY aesthetically pleasing. A lot of fantastic artistry goes into this one, and it takes my breath away whenever I see it. The smallest space out of all, they do a fantastic job of making it seem much, much larger.

Also, we were treated to a show out in the street at 9PM, where the monsters of the haunt danced to the beat of THRILLER. A perfect addition and a great way to end the evening for us.
The downside of all this? Boot Hill has now ended their run for the season and will not be open on Halloween. However, follow along on their site for details on next year at: http://www.legendofboothill.com/

Thanks to the wonderful folks who put so much time and effort into creating these home haunts for just a few short days…it is very appreciated and we love every minute of it!