Tucked away in the Inland Empire is a charming little amusement park and family fun center knows as Castle Park. However, during Halloween it is knows as Castle Dark. Now through November first the charming Castle Dark runs Every Friday, Saturday, & Sunday from 7pm to Midnight.
At 7pm, every night the monsters are let loose in the park. Right away we know that it is, indeed, Halloween.
Monsters roam throughout the park always ready to interact or even scare. The talent here exhibits a particular sensitivity to the wide range of ages who visit the park and they act accordingly.
The event features three haunted mazes and a horde of monsters roaming the streets. That is not to mention the collection of rides ranging from pleasant to thrilling.
MAZES
Let’s take a look at the three haunted mazes offered at Castle Dark. To be clear these are REGIONAL theme park mazes. They are not on the same level as Knott’s or Halloween Horror Nights, nor should they be faulted for that. These are created and populated by up and coming talent and their passion should be cultivated and encouraged.
That said, for a first time haunt-goer, this is an excellent primer.
Sewer of Screams
Sewer of Screams follows the typical storyline of a chemical spill that births monstrous subterranean creatures. Fun scares, lots of screaming, and creepy crawly creatures.
Midnight Manor
We love a good ghost hunting maze and Midnight Manor is an earnest effort. Our group is handed a small, dim candle and we enter the living room of a mansion. It’s said that every Halloween at Midnight the spirits of the home come alive and claim victims. Well, it’s Halloween and, worse still, the grandfather clock strikes midnight. We dive into inky, dark hallways filled with monsters and ghosts and made to fend for ourselves. This one actually might have been my favorite of the night.
Condemned
Condemned casts visitors in the role of content creators who sneak into a long abandoned dark ride that has been sealed for decades. The story goes that a lightening storm caused a supernatural power surge that trapped both guests and employees in the ride never to be seen again. Lucky us, it’s another stormy night and the ride has come to life once more.
We are handed our own small flashlight and guided in for the first show scene. A power surge hits again and we are sent off into the maze. The walkthrough is certainly colorful, but frankly, the story just doesn’t come across. It’s very difficult to write a story that works in a maze, much less a show scene at the beginning that tries to set it up. While fun, this ambitious haunted house was good when it could have been great.
Full transparency here, it was utterly heartbreaking to walk through this maze seeing pieces of the dark ride Ghost Blasters repurposed. I was somehow holding out hope that the delightful dark ride would make a return to Castle Park. Could be the last nail in Ghost Blasters’ coffin?
TICKETS
There are plenty of ticket options to choose from at Castle Dark. But if you want to come in and enjoy a few rides, then hit the mazes with no wait, the VIP BUNDLE starts at $54.99 and it allows you into the park at 12 noon, with unlimited rides. Then when Castle Dark begins, you get unlimited front of line to all three mazes. Grab Tickets here.
Once again we need to say BUY YOUR TICKETS AND PARKING AHEAD ONLINE.
The Verdict
This is a wonderful place to introduce the youngsters to Halloween Haunts, scare zones, and haunted mazes. This isn’t built for the hardened horror fan, but for those finding their love of all things spooky. Plus it is relatively affordable.
