Elvira Joins LA Haunted Hayride for 2025 Season
Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group unveiled its 2025 Halloween lineup during a packed Saturday panel at Midsummer Scream. While the presentation covered multiple events, the headline was clear: Elvira is officially moving into Midnight Falls at the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride. Cassandra Peterson herself appeared on stage to reveal her new role in the event’s storyline and soundscape.
Elvira Takes the Spotlight at Midnight Falls
For the first time, Elvira will be integrated into the fabric of the Hayride’s fictional town of Midnight Falls. Guests will hear her narration and encounter her presence in the Trick or Treat maze, the new MFAM Radio broadcast, and throughout the event in visual and audio overlays. Exclusive Elvira merchandise will be available, and the team confirmed her brand will be embedded in multiple layers of the guest experience.
A Return to Roots for the Haunted Hayride
Celebrating its 17th year, the Haunted Hayride is bringing back iconic scenes and original music from its first decade. The creative team is restoring classic horror tableaus, supported by a library of over 400 musical tracks from the early years. This return to form will include full show stops during the hayride, where wagons will pause for choreographed scare sequences—reinstating a style that made the Hayride unique in its early years.
The town of Midnight Falls continues to expand as well. Food and beverage offerings will now be part of the environment, including a new immersive walkthrough dining experience themed to the Midnight Falls Cider Mill. This year’s scare mazes include the return of Monae Manor, Trick or Treat, and Hellbilly Halloween, the latter of which now features roaming chainsaw-wielding characters that spill into the town square shortly after opening each night. Monte Revolta will also return with two nightly shows.
Delusion Descends into Dante’s Inferno
Delusion is moving into the historic Variety Arts Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. The new show, titled The Harrowing of Hell, follows a supernatural cult known as the Pagan’s Path, taking inspiration from Dante’s Inferno. Guests will traverse multiple levels of the building, encountering dark visions of mortal weakness and sin. The show maintains Delusion’s signature cinematic and interactive style, enhanced this year by a redesigned lounge featuring immersive music and themed spaces. A new online merch store was also announced.
Festival Fright Nights Unlocks New Spaces at Winchester
Festival Fright Nights, a new event at the Winchester Mystery House, will transform the estate into a multi-attraction experience. Set in 1924, two years after Sarah Winchester’s death, the story follows a new owner throwing a Halloween masquerade with unclear intentions. Guests will explore areas of the house and grounds never before used for a nighttime event, including basements, outbuildings, and fourth-floor balconies.
The event features three main attractions: Masquerade of Shadows inside the mansion, The Root of All Evil in the outbuildings, and The Final Descent in the basement. A separate invitation-only masquerade experience adds an additional layer for guests who want a deeper narrative thread. The experience is designed to unfold differently depending on which attractions guests participate in.
Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns Finds a New Home
Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns is relocating to the South Coast Botanic Garden in Rancho Palos Verdes. The new trail is a full mile long and will incorporate 10,000 hand-carved pumpkins set among the garden’s hills and trees. A new zone called Enchanted Hollow will use upgraded lighting and effects to heighten the immersive atmosphere.
The family-friendly event includes interactive photo ops, s’mores stations, a giant slide, and a themed “Fun Zone.” Organizers emphasized that the experience offers a cozy entry point into the Halloween season, contrasting with the intensity of their other attractions.
Thirteenth Floor’s presentation highlighted its push toward year-round engagement and immersive storytelling. With expanded lore, returning favorites, and new collaborations, the 2025 season is shaping up to be one of their most ambitious yet.
