Glendale, CA — Haunted Soiree, the two-hour Halloween party with drinks and immersive theatre at the Nocturne Theatre in Glendale, took on true crime for 2026. Its story was built on Pennsylvania’s 1928 Hex Hollow Murder, a killing over a book of German-American folk magic, and it ran select nights October 10 through 31.
The Story
Haunted Soiree changes its story every year. The 2026 story was set nearly a century after a suspected warlock was killed over a mysterious book of German-American folk magic. The secretive Autumn Society keeps his strange traditions alive through a festival of drinks, music, masks, ghost stories, and games that the ticket page called HauntOberfest. As the night went on, guests found out the festivities weren’t what they seemed, and every toast, game, and tradition was part of a ritual.
Each room revealed another chapter of the mystery, including the story behind The Long Lost Friend, the book of spells at the center of the 1928 crime.
“The most unsettling stories are the ones that are already true,” said Justin Meyer, creator of Haunted Soiree. “We started with a real murder, a real book and a community where belief in folk magic had very real consequences.”
Haunted Soiree put guests inside a Halloween celebration where the drinks, music, characters, entertainment, and traditions were all part of the story, so they could raise a glass and enjoy the party or follow the clues and dig into the mystery. The bar had themed cocktails, wines, beers, and mocktails, and guests were encouraged to dress in Oktoberfest attire, cocktail wear, or Halloween costumes.
2026 Dates, Tickets, and Ages
Haunted Soiree ran at the Nocturne Theatre, 324 North Orange Street, Glendale, on October 10, 11, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, and 31, and each performance ran two hours. Tickets came in three tiers:
- SilverMeister: two hours, one complimentary drink, Hansel & Gretel’s Trick or Treat, interactive experiences, roaming characters, and live performances
- GoldMeister: everything in SilverMeister plus a second complimentary drink from the featured menu and a larger cup, for $12 more
- PlatinumMeister: everything in GoldMeister plus expedited check-in, first entry, and a souvenir German dimple glass, for $24 more
Tickets started at $59 with the $2 booking fee, but only on October 25, and that night’s SilverMeister tickets had sold out by September 25. On that date, SilverMeister cost $69 or $77 with the fee on most other nights, and it was already sold out for the 6:30 p.m. show on October 10.
Most performances were 21+. Select dates were dry performances open to guests under 21, and the ticket calendar did not mark which nights those were.
Haunted Soiree also ran in Seattle in 2026, at the Rainier Chapter House on select nights October 2 through 31, with the same story and ticket tiers.
The Real Hex Hollow Case
The real case happened in York County, Pennsylvania, in November 1928. Nelson Rehmeyer was a powwow doctor, a practitioner of the Pennsylvania Dutch folk magic built around The Long Lost Friend, a book of magical recipes by Johann Georg Hohman. According to Atlas Obscura, John H. Blymire believed Rehmeyer had put a hex on him that caused his bad health, so Blymire and two teenage accomplices broke into Rehmeyer’s house for his copy of the book and demanded that the hex be undone. They beat Rehmeyer to death and set the house on fire, but it didn’t burn. The “York Witch Trial” that followed was a sensation, and all three men were convicted and imprisoned. Rehmeyer’s descendants opened the house, known locally as the Hex House, to the public in 2007.
More From the Nocturne
Haunted Soiree comes from Meyer2Meyer Entertainment, founded by Melissa and Justin Meyer, who also run the Nocturne. The release said the theatre has four resident spirits, including a lady in white seen in the lobby after dark. In fall 2026 it also staged Justin Meyer’s Frankenstein: Resurrection musical through November 1, and its paranormal play The Eaves opened in an upstairs space on April 30. For more Halloween nights out, see my guide to haunted houses in Los Angeles.
I add the 2027 story and dates here when Haunted Soiree posts them.
Last updated: November 5, 2026.
