The Newland House in Huntington Beach was built in 1898, and has been a family home, a museum, and a wedding venue. Now it’s home to the newest haunted event in Southern California.

This haunt was built by volunteers, staffed by volunteers, and is raising money for a terrific cause. The love that these people have for this event is in full evidence here, and the tremendous effort put forth shows in every corner, and in every scare.

Stay close to the light…

And, yes, it is scary. It’s a monochromatic black-and-white nightmare of a wedding party (no gore) in which you must solve puzzles, find clues, and participate in different ways in order to make your way through the house, around its garden and yard, and finally end up in the wedding chapel with the blushing bride.

Going to the chapel and we’re…

The building of this haunt had to tread a thin line: they could not do any construction inside the historical house, and they only had two days in which to build the entire thing.

Two days.

There are some wonderful scares here (they even startled jaded old me a few times), and some excellent tricks and treats. All of the actors were spot-on: in character and staying that way all night. The sets (outside of the house) are obviously temporary (they’re only open four total nights), but still look just as professional as other bigger-budgeted for-profit haunts in the area.

Even though the line to get in was long (they were having a technical glitch that slowed it down), there was plenty of talented frighteners stalking the parking lot, providing scares and creepy entertainment for us, letting the time flow by quickly.

Creepy

When you finish the haunt, there is a nice little carnival you can walk through, with food, entertainment, crafts, and the like. It’s a great way to spend an hour or two on a spooky October evening.

Check out their Facebook page for more info, but do it quick! Tickets are selling out fast!