It was brisk windy night and as luck would have it all most a full moon. The street embodies the Halloween spirit, as many of the homes were decorated in traditional Halloween garb. Walking up to the house reminded me of stepping up to a tradition Halloween maze, complete with fog rolling down the driveway along with vintage music playing wafting through the air. Corona Haunt Shadow Mountain is a traditional home haunt maze in Corona, CA

Corona Haunt Shadow Mountain is a ten-minute walk through home haunt that leads participants into a campground where monsters lurk. The experience is filled with long passageways and jump scares that will frighten most audiences. The home haunt is full of passionate actors, some gorgeous sets, and winding passageways that make this experience feel larger than it’s modest home-haunt footprint occupies.

Upon entering Corona Haunt Shadow Mountain, the lighting is spot on and directs your attention to entrance decorated to resemble a fire rangers station, the one on stilts above the forest canopy. The attention to detail through the entire haunt was absolutely amazing. From a small desk littered with trail maps and assorted pictures to a huge map that looked as if someone or something decided to punch a hole straight through it and the wall behind, all the details hinted at something darker hidden within.

Upon further inspection, there was something darker—I was greeted with my first sneak peak of the creature that waited for me inside when a giant disfigured arm slashed out at me. I’m still a giant kid inside and as usual this standard jump scare did just that: made me jump.

Making my way out of the room, I’m again surprised by the level of detail in the trail that I’m seeing. Clever use of perspective elongated a simple path into a long  hiking trail that extended into darkness. The use of a realistic full moon above further elevated the design of this trail. Walking down the trail I was again impressed at how long this forest and trail must of taken to produce, and yet again I’m greeted by the pesky disfigured arm. This time it was cleverly Hidden above me and just as I walk by, it attempts to decapitate me. While I thought that this jump-scare was tripped via a pressure sensor—but instead, it was a live actor perched above to scare all who dared to enter.

As I travel deeper down the trail, I am starting to see more and more evidence that I’m being hunted; there’s blood and deep slash marks on the signs, showing the true power of the claws I’ve been seeing prior. Just as I’m making a upturn to head further up the trail, I finally come face to face with the creature that has been chasing me. It’s humanoid with a giant disfigured face; something out of John Carpenter’s The Thing. But I don’t have time to admit the disturbing detail of this creature because it chases me and as you’ve guessed by now, makes me yelp and jump like a 10-year old..

Scurrying down the hallway in my feeble attempt to elude my capture, I’m am herded into the next scene: a ranger’s cabin. I’m greeted by one of the haunt’s past scares, a creepy clown doll that’s sitting on a chair, staring and beckoning me to move deeper inside.  Sitting there motionless is the ranger, and I can see why he’s being so still: a gigantic hole in the wall to his left with a monster lurking just behind the darkness.

I rush out of the room, but I’m not fast enough as I’m greeted by the abomination again, and as he raises his claw to make his final death strike on me, I escape into a tunnel that’s been carved out of solid stone. I make my way through the rock tunnel, and I am see many skeletons of travelers who weren’t as lucky as I am. the tunnel is beautifully designed, looking in both sight and sound like my favorite Knott’s Berry Farm ride, the Calico Mine. This even includes a chest full of dynamite just waiting to seal the path behind me. I continue down the tunnel as the smoke thickens. I remember, just as I did as a kid, that if I don’t hurry, I’m going to blow apart by the explosion.

I turn the last corner, expecting the creature to grab me from behind, and I finally see the way out. So, without hesitation, I hasten my pace to exit into the safety of the beloved driveway. But just as I step out of the rock tunnel, the chest of dynamite goes off, shaking the chamber. I stumble out onto the driveway checking myself for any claw marks—and hoping that the creature was trapped inside under the collapsed tunnel.

Mason Legerski and Joe Roath who run Corona Haunt have been putting on their haunted attraction for nine years now, and their attention to detail is both amazing and inspiring. It shows just how much they love their art. Corona Haunt Shadow Mountain felt similar to a walkthrough of the Calico Mine Ride at Knott’s Berry Farm, and had the attention to detail that the Knott’s designers have. If you want an amazing Halloween night with your family or friends, do yourself a favor and head down to Corona, but remember some really creepy monster has found its way into Corona Haunt Shadow Mountain and the rocks won’t contain it for long.

For more information on Corona Haunt, check out their website, Facebook or Instagram pages.

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Corona Haunt Shadow Mountain was a fun home haunt that should not be missed.