Ok adrenaline junkies… pay attention to this one! If you have ever wanted to pick up a gun and shoot the scare actors coming at you during a Halloween event… and who hasn’t? This one is for you. I took a little road trip down to Bellflower to check out the “23 acres of terror” called Haunted Hollywood Sports. This event is truly unique. They have 3 traditional mazes, 1 mini-maze and 3 killhouses where you get to pick up a gun and fire away.
Haunted Hollywood Sports. Photo by Eden Folwell
These are real paintball and airsoft guns with live ammo. Yeah, it’s only paint and pellets, but as we were told many times throughout the night “ricochets do happen and ricochets do hurt”. The killhouses are like being inside a live video game and even though I’m not a diehard gamer… I loved it.
Now in it’s 2nd year, Haunted Hollywood Sports is a Halloween event that takes place at an outdoor paintball and airsoft theme park. Even though it’s located in Bellflower, it gets the “Hollywood” part of its name from Hollywood movie sets like Saving Private Ryan, Godzilla, Starship Troopers and more. These sets have been brought here and placed on the fields of play. They are super cool and give the battles a truly epic feel.
Lovely ladies of Club Crimson photo by Eden Folwell
Another highlight is the 18+ night club on the premises that provided one of the biggest shocks of the night. Set inside a building that looks like a boring office park from the outside, I was stunned to walk inside and find a huge room that looked like a vampire’s den. The friendly owner, Gio Degidio, told me that the decor for Club Crimson came from the movie The Haunting. “Look,” he pointed behind me with a huge grin on his face, “you’re sitting in front of the fireplace that guy got sucked up into.” Obviously a huge fan of Halloween and Hollywood, Gio is trying to build something here that people love. He promised to bring the event back next year and make it even better.
My favorite maze of the night was Venom. Long and winding paths twist and turn through very claustrophic spaces. At times, I felt a little like a lab rat, scurrying through the tunnels that were super narrow and often pitch black. Feeling along in the dark, I wondered more than once if I’d ever find my way out. A bonus, the actors really chase you! Unlike Universal where actors jump out at you and then duck back into their hiding places for a 20 second reset… these actors separated me from my friend and blocked my way out. Then, when I got past them… they chased me into another room. It was great. One actor even jumped out of a coffin and over the rail to chase me. It was exhilarating, unexpected madness. There were also some really well-timed motion sensitive effects that had me jumping out of my skin.
I really enjoyed two of the three killhouses. Deadman’s Trail is new this year and was the one disappointment of the evening. A paintball shooting range with live zombie actors, we stood behind a barricade and they stayed so far in the distance that it was impossible to shoot them. I understand that a barrage of paintballs hurts, especially when we were instructed to shoot for the head to get a killshot, but it all felt a little frustrating.
The other two airsoft killhouses were absolute winners. My favorite, Zombie, has a military theme.
The author in a Killhouse. Photo by Ingrid Coree
The actor instructing us was perfectly in character, warning us to stay in military formation with our troops and make sure someone “has your six.” An airsoft newbie, I was able to load my weapon and follow our leader inside with ease. Visitors walk in a maze that has areas cut out with windows you can shoot through. I think I may have been walking through a city and in and out of houses, but I’m not really sure because by the time I went through this killhouse, the whole park had become blanketed in REAL fog. Honestly, I could barely see ten feet in front of me. At one point, I became turned around inside a house and all I could see was a red light flashing and fog all around me. Completely lost from the group, with no one at my six, I became surrounded by zombies. One grabbed my gun, pointed it at his stomach and shouted “shoot me, shoot me”… I was scared, “I don’t want to hurt you.” “SHOOT ME NOW”… and I did. He then dramatically shook his body and fell in a heap on the floor. WHAT?! That was awesome. I stepped over him towards the red light as one of the leaders came back for me, “Come on Slowpoke, it’s dangerous out here, you’re going to get yourself killed.”
Haunted Hollywood Sports only has one night left this season, Halloween, but I’m going back next year with guns blazing! Don’t worry, I’ve got your six.
General admission is $29. Includes unlimited access for all mazes, scarezones, and Club Crimson. Additional attractions are $10 each: Zombie Killhouse, VooDoo Killhouse, Deadman’s Trail Killhouse, Suicide Rock climbing wall, Evil Axis shooting range for target practice.
Haunted Hollywood Sports
Open Oct 31st 8pm-11pm
No costumes, sharp objects (including pens) .
For more information: www.hauntedhollywoodsports.com
