The 2021 Halfway to Halloween Spooky Events Update

All Over Southern California

As April progresses and the attractions industry starts returning to a semblance of normal, we’re starting to see our local theme parks open up:

Six Flags Magic Mountain is already running daily and has been since April 1.
Sea World San Diego has been open as a wildlife park and will open full theme park and ride operations starting tomorrow, April 12.
LegoLand California will reopen fully starting Thursday, April 15 and has already been open to season passholders since the beginning of the month.
Universal Studios Hollywood will reopen under theme park operations starting Friday, April 16 (the Taste of Universal ends this weekend).
Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will reopen on Friday, April 30 (the Touch of Disney event continues through next weekend).
Knott’s Berry Farm will reopen with rides Thursday, May 6 to season passholders and Friday, May 21 to the public, after the Taste of Boysenberry Festival has concluded, though an official date has not yet been announced.

Don’t expect everything to be completely normal. Theme parks will still be subject to capacity restrictions depending on their State of California Coronavirus Severity Tier (so currently 25% capacity, as our local theme parks are in the Orange “Moderate” tier). Tickets will only be sold to California residents and much be purchased online. And expect attractions where physical distancing or shows that attract crowds to be tempered or unavailable.

But this update isn’t actually about our theme park reopening. In fact, we’re actually looking ahead toward spooky happenings occuring later this year. That’s because this past week saw a flurry of haunt-related news, and we wanted to summarize them in a news blast for those whose hearts remain dark year-round!

Reign of Terror Announces Springtime Special Event

Last year, Thousand Oaks’ venerable Reign of Terror announced plans to operate their sprawling haunt under significantly reduced capacity, no live actors, and online reservations only. However, a week or two after their announcement, Ventura County issued health order guidelines specifically prohibiting haunted house attractions from operating. And that was that… unfortunately, Reign of Terror could not operate and thus went dark for the season.

Fortunately, the pandemic is in a better condition in Southern California than last fall, and with increasing vaccinations to boot, Reign of Terror has elected to move forward with their annual spring event, which typically occurs for one weekend in March or February and raises money for a local charity. This year, they’re doing it a little later than usual but branding it a “Halfway to Halloween” celebration. Essentially, it’s a chance to see what Reign of Terror would have cooked up last autumn. There will be limited live actors this time, and guests are restricted to only one party, with tickets purchased online only.

Reign of Terror is an indoor venue, which is a little riskier than something that is open air. But if there was an indoor haunt that could accomplish concerted social distancing, this sprawling haunted house is it. If you feel comfortable taking part, it runs Friday, April 23, and Saturday, April 24.

After being dark last fall, Reign of Terror returns with an expanded layout of horror and a very limited springtime fundraising event!

From the press release:

Reign of Terror will OPEN Friday, April 23 and Saturday, April 24, 2021

It's been 6 months since we all missed Halloween last Fall. There's no better time than RIGHT NOW to catch up for some Haunting fun, Halfway to Halloween!

What will you experience?

The one-of-a-kind fun and thrilling Haunted House experience that can only be found at Reign of Terror!
You will walk through (with your private party only, one-way) our 125 custom, award-winning horror themed, high quality haunted rooms.
Tons of exquisite, bone-chilling details, gruesome beings and characters, plus animatronic props, frightening animated scenes, spectacular special effects, theatrical lighting, and terrifying sounds...will be encountered.
Live scare actors will be present, distanced and in limited amount. All actors and staff will be wearing masks. COVID-19 protocols will be in effect.

Admission Info

RESERVED TIME ENTRY We will schedule admission times for all tickets. Admission Reservations can only be purchased online. Reservations will provide admission during a 30 minute block each hour.
LIMITED CAPACITY. Because we're only allowing a small number of entries each time, and you will enter with your own private party (no co-mingling groups) we expect reservation times to 'sell out', so please plan ahead and consider alternatives days and times, if necessary.

Admission Prices

Regular Scheduled Admission: $25
Immediate* Access: $45
(*Immediate Access allows admission as the next available group during your 30 min reservation time slot)
All Admission Reservations must be purchased ONLINE.

Get Ready!

New Layout Our 9 themed attractions have been re-organized into a brand new flow, with surprising new sequencing, twists and turns.

New Bizarre Beings A wider variety of surprising creatures and characters than ever before occupy our 125 rooms

New State of the art special effects, lighting, sound

Enjoy Fan Favorites "The White-Out Experience", "Slime Bog", "Vortex Tunnel" and MORE!

New Facility We are still at Janss Marketplace, but in a new, larger facility, conveniently located directly across from the parking structure (free parking)

For additional information and to reserve tickets, go to the official web site at https://rothauntedhouse.com.

Midsummer Scream 2021 Cancelled & 2022 Dates Announced, and Season’s Screaming Holiday Event Announced

Speaking of indoor events, last week came news that Midsummer Scream 2021 would have to be cancelled, on account of the continued uncertainty of holding mass gathering events indoors. Although we’ve seen the announcement of concerts and music festivals returning later this year, those indoor music events that have occurred have been pretty low capacity, and the festivals announced have been outside. To that end, having a high-crowd convention indoors still seems a little dicey at this point in time, at least in July.

Not to fear, however. Midsummer Scream will return next summer at the end of July in its usual calendar slot. And beyond that, the producers have also announced a Seasons Screamings event for this holiday season, at the Pasadena Convention Center. Returning to where Midsummer Scream started its roots, this “Start of Winter Scream” can expect to serve as the spiritual replacement for the cancelled summer event (though MSS tickets will not be transferable to SS). At this point, the expectation is that by year’s end, we should be back to normal, and what better way to celebrate?

From the press release:

MIDSUMMER SCREAM ANNOUNCES NEW DATES FOR 2022 AND INTRODUCES ALL-NEW HOLIDAY SEASON EVENT

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and related circumstances beyond our control, we’ve made the difficult decision to cancel our event scheduled for this July. The new dates for Midsummer Scream’s return are July 29-31, 2022 at the Long Beach Convention Center, where the event will be more thrilling and better than ever!

Now for some great news: as Southern California opens back up for live events, Midsummer

Scream is preparing a few tricks and treats, culminating in the largest Season’s Screamings event we’ve ever produced, December 17-19, 2021 at the Pasadena Convention Center. This holiday themed horror convention will include frightfully delightful vendors and artisans, live entertainment, and a darkened hall filled with fog, haunted attractions, displays, and perhaps a visit from Krampus himself (as long as you’ve been naughty enough).

Those holding Midsummer Scream 2021 tickets are encouraged to hang on to them; they will automatically roll over and are valid for our 5th Anniversary celebration in 2022 at no additional cost. We do understand that times are tough; if you need a ticketing refund, please visit midsummerscream.org/refundrequest - please note that Midsummer Scream tickets are non-transferable to any other event; they may only be used for Midsummer Scream 2022.

Tickets for Season’s Screamings and Midsummer Scream 2022 will go on sale in the months ahead.

For the latest news and information from Midsummer Scream, make sure you’ve signed up online for our newsletter and are following our social media platforms on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Delusion Announces 2021 Return and Partnership with 13th Floor Entertainment

Finally, we have a double dose of great news from the folks at Delusion. The huge hit fan favorite will return this year after a break last year and stick with a horror theme! Not only that, but Delusion will be partnering with 13th Floor Entertainment, bringing the resources and production values of the largest Halloween attractions conglomerate in the country to an experience that is already pretty mind-blowing on its own. We can’t wait to see how this partnership of two of the heaviest hitters (and most famous Jon’s) in the Halloween business blossoms and turns out!

Delusion was dark last year, like many haunted attractions, and ventured into the sci-fi / adventure realm three and two years ago with The Blue Blade and Alt Delete, but this year, Jon Braver and company will be returning to the horror themes their… — Delusion was dark last year, like many haunted attractions, and ventured into the sci-fi / adventure realm three and two years ago with The Blue Blade and Alt Delete, but this year, Jon Braver and company will be returning to the horror themes their fans love most!

From the press release:

DELUSION RETURNS TO ITS HORROR ROOTS THIS FALL, PARTNERING WITH 13TH FLOOR ENTERTAINMENT GROUP

Los Angeles, CA — Two of the biggest names in Halloween and horror entertainment are joining forces to produce LA’s most popular interactive event. This fall Jon Braver, Delusion Creator and Director, will once again bring this one-of-a-kind immersive and interactive horror theater to life. But this time, Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group, the largest Halloween entertainment company in the world, joins Braver as the producer of Delusion. Braver will also join Thirteenth Floor as Director of Immersive Entertainment. The joining of these two Halloween heavyweights promises to bring fans their best Delusion experience yet.

“Delusion has always been my favorite immersive event, I have gone out of my way to attend the show for years. I have so much respect and admiration for the world that Jon has created with Delusion and am truly honored that our company will serve as its producer” says Chris Stafford, Thirteenth Floor’s CEO. “I think what will be awesome about our collaboration is that the strength and structure of Thirteenth Floor will allow Jon to focus his primary attention on ensuring the story and creative design is the best it can possibly be.”

“Being able to lean on Thirteenth Floor and their resources will be great for Delusion,” says Braver. “Chris and I have been speaking for years about working together, and finally, everything has lined up. I feel invigorated being surrounded by such talented Halloween die hards. I couldn’t be more excited for the next Delusion show.”

Location scouting is underway and a venue is in the process of being secured. In a recent newsletter to the Delusion fans, Braver has promised that ‘Delusion will return to its horror roots this fall.’ Stafford adds, “Jon has shared with me little pieces of the story line and it sounds amazing, fun and terrifying! As a fan, I can’t wait to see this production of Delusion come to life.”

Delusion fans can sign up to register for early access to tickets on the website (enterdelusion.com). As they have in the past, tickets are expected to sell out quickly, so stay tuned for presale and on-sale updates.

About Delusion

In a new era of storytelling, Delusion (#playyourpart) remains one of the most popular interactive events with an absolute commitment to quality and originality. Delusion began in 2011 as a passion project for creator Jon Braver and for seven seasons has captivated sold-out audiences, thrusting them into an otherworldly adventure where they must play their parts in order to move the story forward. Live actors, creature effects, stunts, elaborate set design, and an original score weave together a tale unlike any other. Learn more at www.enterdelusion.com.

About Jon Braver

A film and theatre director, action coordinator, and Disney Imagineering consultant, Jon Braver’s extensive career has run an exciting path. His love for the fantastical and experience working with some of the top directors in the business has helped to shape his unusual range of talent and keen ability to deliver a unique vision. He began work on his Delusion Universe in 2011 and continues to shepherd the property as it expands to new audiences and formats.

About Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group

Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group (“13FEG”) is the world's largest producer and operator of theme park-quality haunted houses and related immersive live-entertainment events. 13FEG’s platform includes 15 Halloween attractions across 11 US Markets. 13FEG continues to set the bar for live horror entertainment as it grows its brands across the United States and abroad. 13FEG is headquartered in Denver, CO, with offices in Austin, TX and Los Angeles, CA. Learn more at www.thirteenthfloor.com.

Beyond this news, we’ve already seen suggestions that Halloween Horror Nights and Knott’s Scary Farm should return this year after last year’s COVID-related hiatuses. Nothing official has been announced, and of course, given how this pandemic has gone, things could certainly change. But with more people getting vaccinated and hopefully people continuing to exercise safe health habits for just a few months longer, we can really put this virus and this pandemic to bed and return to a normal way of life just in time for the spookiest time of the year!