Hull House: 2019 Review
Hull House, Buena Park, CA
All home haunts start from somewhere, whether it be a simple garden display or an elementary garage maze or even just regular decorating for Halloween. That initial spark slowly grows, fanning out to ever greater extents year after year, and at some point, it becomes a full-fledged haunted attraction, complete with scareactors and immersive theming and a soundtrack and fancy lighting and all. If if this passion really goes far, it could result in a home haunt that becomes beloved not only by the local neighborhood but also by haunt fans regionally!
This afternoon's update is about a haunt that is in the middle of that process, with quality and attention to detail that is well on its way to a promising and haunting future. Hull House is a yard display in Buena Park that--in just a couple of years--has already blossomed into an elegant, polished attraction that is incredibly photogenic and stunning in its look. On Halloween night, it also transformed into a maze, with a brief walk-through that hints at future plans.
The eerie and spectral facade of Hull House is quite eye-catching!
Hull House was a Halloween stop last year, made possible because it was listed on the SoCal Haunt List--a handy-dandy guide to a plethora of local haunted attractions that's particularly focused on getting the word out on home haunts to help share the passion that these folks infuse into their own residences. Generally limited to a cemetery scene, this haunt was nevertheless impressive in the sophistication of its lighting, the detail in the gravestones, and the cute jack-o-lantern decorations lining the house itself. The addition of a small, single scene walkthrough "maze" added some extra excitement for Halloween night trick-or-treaters, many who ran out screaming from the frights within.
This year's Hull House has expanded its curb appeal with the addition of an impressive new facade that complete blocks entire front of the actual house, transforming it into Hull House en proper. Resembling a burned out husk of a home, the set is bathed in eerie, blue, luminous texture, with a nice pop of orange from the jack-o-lanterns to give a nice accent. To the left, leading from the driveway, is the portal to this year's Halloween night maze--once again modest, but laying the groundwork for plans to come.
This facade will ultimately be the iconic “weenie” of a future, more comprehensive maze.
There's a master plan behind the unfolding of Hull House. Creator Bill Galvin has designs to eventually evolve this into a full home haunt, complete with a more substantial maze, similar in scope to some of the great home haunts we cover around Southern California. Having loved Halloween and decorating for the holiday since childhood, Bill has long dreamed of sharing that passion with others, and as with most home haunters, is turning that into reality now that he has a house of his own. The connections afforded by today's social media have allowed him to quickly develop a sense of style and ambiance that is well above the typical Halloween yard display. Help from VanOaks Cemetery's Derek Young, for example, and really assisted in honing techniques in lighting and texture on both the overall production a well as the individual set pieces, as well as show controls, cable management, and back-of-house concerns related to constructability and conveniencing show management.
Ultimately Hull House is a lovely yard display that really envelopes the feel of classic, spooky Halloween. It's a lovely gem in Buena Park, not too far from Knott's Scary Farm, and definitely worth a stop for anyone in the area. We love that haunters like Bill continue to refine and improve their craft, and share their love with the rest of us. It's what makes this autumn holiday so special!
Check out Hull House and many other home haunts by grabbing a SoCal Haunt List and exploring all around!
Hull House is located at 6688 San Alano Cir, Buena Park, CA 90620. It is operational nightly from now through Halloween night, and its maze runs on October 31st only.
Architect. Photographer. Disney nerd. Haunt enthusiast. Travel bugged. Concert fiend. Asian.
