Cornfields, haunted houses, and thousands of pumpkins in every size. No, you’re not in the midwest – you’re in Woodland Hills!
Living in the valley you’d think you would know about a mile long corn field that’s grown each year specifically that’s turned into a giant maze come October — guess I must have missed that one. This event is located at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, just 15 past Sherman Oaks coming from Los Angeles. It’s pretty convenient, yet somehow driving down Winnetka St. the farther you get from the 101 FWY the more secluded you feel from civilization (it’s only 5 min off the FWY which is so bizarre).
The location is fantastic, it feels like your at a Pumpkin Patch somewhere on a farm in Ohio (I know there’s not alot in Ohio, but from what Ive gathered- cornfields and hayrides are about as common in the midwest (esp. Ohio) as Coffee Beans and Starbucks are in L.a-just sayin). After parking on a really dusty lot you walk yourself to the entrance of the festival which is disguised as a farmers market (mini pumpkins, snacks, and all). Most of the employees appeared to be local students (gives that “mom & pop” vibe), which felt very right at an event like this!
OK-so let me break it down- there are two events advertised: The first is the FRIGHT FAIR, and the second is the HALLOWEEN HARVEST FESTIVAL. I was asked to review the FRIGHT FAIR and ended up coming back for a second night to enjoy both individually. How do I describe the FRIGHT FAIR? Well it’s pretty simple, A-W-E-S-O-M-E! For the FRIGHT FAIR they have 3 attractions billed, the first is The Factory of Nightmares haunted house.
FEAR FACTORY FACADE
It’s located in the back of the complex in a rather large and intimidating structure disguised as a run-down warehouse. There are no lines, just a door with a greeter anticipating your arrival. After getting your ticket stamped and the greeter whispering a few words into her microphone you are quickly ushered inside.
Ok so when visiting this house I had no exceptions, especially since 3 days prior to visiting, you would have mentioned corn field or Pierce College to me and I’d say “huh?” (My friends from Woodland Hills couldn’t believe me—they’ve been coming since they were kids).
Back to the house – it blew me away (and they don’t always I swear) ! Through the beginning of the maze you are guided through a few rooms and halls (packed with really high octane-motion detected scares and air-blasts) by a really creepy man with an accent and ghoul makeup (he was actually pretty funny), all leading you to the ELEVATOR.
THIS GUY CAN'T WAIT TO MEET YOU-REGARDLESS IF YOU WANT TOO OR NOT
The Second attraction is Creatures of the Corn Haunted Trail. It is located in the same corn field used for the Corn Maze. Again, this does not disappoint. This was such a new experience for me – never before in Los Angeles have you been able to enter actual Corn Field with 12 ft. Stocks so thick and dense you can never see more the 5 ft. in front of you.
CREATURES OF THE CORN
The 3rd and final attraction for Fright Fair is the night time version of the corn maze. This is not intended to be scary. It is approximately a mile long and each year they grow out the field and come up with a new theme for the layout. This year it was a “green” recycling theme (not very Halloween but didn’t really matter) . You are given a map with the locations of 8 pinpoints you must discover. The idea is simple and fun. While it only took us 25 minutes to complete, I’ve heard 1 hour is the usually the average amount of time it takes to complete this maze. Oh and please guys don’t cut through the grass, I made the mistake of crossing through ONE (only one i swear ) dead end and let’s say I had a slight allergic reaction-STAY ON THE PATH!
AN OVERVIEW OF THE CORN MAZE (LAST YEARS THEME PICTURED)-ITS MASSIVE!
NSIDE CREATURES OF THE CORN- LIKE THIS - ONLY MUCH DARKER AND WITH CHAINSAWS
It’s hard to persuade alot of you guys to do all these events because there are soooo many of them in L.A.( and they all seem to be kickin ass this year–which makes it harder for all of us to visit on a budget) -but it’s only $20 to do all 3 attractions and it’s a new kind of haunted house that you have yet to experience! Deff worth it!
As for the fairgrounds that contain the Fright Fair- they could not be any more family friendly! Your welcomed free of charge to roam the complex and there are plenty of places and activities for your friends and children who are easily scared to enjoy the festival. From a pumpkin patch that consists of literally thousands and thousands of pumpkins in every size and shape, to an endless array of kiddies rides, Hayrides, gold-panning, stage-shows, and delicious fresh concession stands ( lemonade, funnel cakes, kettle corn, etc.) there is so much for you and everyone in your family to do. Everything about the complex seems authentic and homegrown. you could easily spend several hours here and leave wanting to bring back your friends and family! Oh and did I mention a petting zoo stocked with adorable mini-ponies and goats ( shoot me! I love the farm animals)!
I would love to thank the owner of the event Robert Mcbroom for allowing me to come and visit! For him this is a never ending process- he explained some ideas to me for next year and I admit I can’t even wait to see some of his new concepts come to life. Also he will send me in the following months links to his workshops he will be giving for prosthetics and makeup lessons. Also thanks to Tracy Hernandez for setting this all up! I don’t know what she looks like, and apparently we did meet-I got an email from her saying “thanks for letting me scare you in the Factory of Nightmares”– Again, AWESOME!!!!
*Theres plenty of time to come and do this before Halloween-Don’t miss your chance!!!!!
http://www.halloweenharvestfestival.com/
