Dark Harbor 2019 Dives Into the Haunted Lore of the Queen Mary
It’s that time of year again when the fog rolls into the Long Beach Harbor, bringing with it the ghosts and ghouls that lurk beside the ocean shore. The witching hour stirs the twisted and tortured souls doomed to wander through Queen Mary’s moonlit halls. While some have been lingering for decades, others are inspired by narratives of Dark Harbor’s own creation, culminating in larger-than-life characters whose stories have haunted the Long Beach Halloween scene for what is now Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor’s 10th anniversary. Each iconic character gets their own maze, or has had one in the past, but can still be seen haunting the grounds each year. Dark Harbor 2019
Photo: Taylor Winters
The fairground itself is delightfully decayed and ornate in décor, an immersive playground for adults and brave children alike. This year the event features six haunted mazes, sliders and strolling characters, non-stop live entertainment, hidden bars only accessible with tokens, and a swing ride from Neverland Ranch (yes – that Neverland Ranch). Whatever your macabre idea of fun is, you can certainly find it here.
What sets this event apart is their dedication to their own lore. Keen on wielding these stories to their advantage, they bring chilling tales of woe to enormous heights (or should we say, darkened depths). One can’t leave the fairground of horror without knowing, and sometimes living through, these legends themselves. Scary as it might be, the party atmosphere, flashy lights and fire, and ridiculously comfy lounge areas make this a place to savor and enjoy all night; maybe it’s why so many of its ghostly inhabitants can’t seem to move on.
Photo: Taylor Winters
All six mazes are detailed below, but each one takes on the task of frightening you in its own unique way, while telling you the story of the ghost or idea the maze is built upon. While some of these stories are redone every year, what Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor creates is well worth the expensive parking price tag (unless you park in downtown and take a free shuttle in) or upcharge to Evil Express so you can jump the line of each maze, ensuring you can visit them multiple times in one night.
Photo: Taylor Winters
LULLABY
An eerily still stroll down the scarcely lit Queen Mary hallways awakens the tortured soul of a reportedly real ghost, Scary Mary. The ship’s already gorgeous and dank interior paired with the actual events that inspired this haunt make it all the more delectable. Not to mention that it practically starts in a bar – for any soul in need a little shot of courage or a tarot card reading before wandering in. (It should be noted that this is not a secret bar; there happens to be another, more well-hidden one in the maze.)
Photo: Taylor Winters
Fraught with jump-scares, moving animatronics and video effects to get you in the mood to play with a demon of a girl who just wants you to “GET OUT,” this classic maze has been running for a few years now. So for those more familiar with the haunt’s previous iterations, it’s worth mentioning that, this year, there’s no visit to the poolroom itself where the real-life Mary drowned. Instead they opt to recreate that moment from a whole new angle, one you might not have seen before.
If you are looking for Lullaby‘s secret bar, or others in the park – though tight-lipped about it’s location, the folks at the Barrel Room should be able to hook you up with a wooden nickel that grants you and one guest entry. Be warned though, the Lullaby’s speakeasy is perhaps the most difficult one onboard to find, making it well worth the visit.
Photo: Taylor Winters
ROUGE
A new addition to Dark Harbor, Rouge’s debut plunges you into the lore headfirst, making this haunt feel more like a Disney ride than a typical scare. Perhaps one of the less scary mazes in the park (especially when it’s still light outside), it more than makes up for it with trippy moving floors, animatronics and video, water effects, plus a tiny bit of face-time with the famous Dark Harbor “Captain,” who is finally having his origin story told: the story of a captain that went down with his ship, and is taking you with him.
Photo: Taylor Winters
Transforming what was just a parking lot into a capsized Queen Mary is an impressive feat. Being one of only two mazes whose entire set had to be built from the ground up, its ingenuity of space is impressive, and allows them to cover the ground in bubbles and running water. Though you won’t get soaked, you’ll perhaps jump more from sprays of water than the scare-actors themselves – making this perfect for families to go through, and a fantastic deep dive into what truly makes a great maze: adrenaline rushes and chillingly good times.
There are still a few jump-scares hidden throughout, and the secret bar is clearly visible in the middle of the maze, reminiscent of the Blue Bayou of Pirates, it’s an attraction that is sure to delight even the most squeamish of haunt-goers and surely deserves a revisit next year, hopefully even bigger than the spectacle it is now.
Photo: Taylor Winters
FEAST
Perhaps by sheer luck, this maze sits downwind of the enormous grills of roasting turkey legs you pass when you first walk in. While some vegetarians might not like the overpowering smell of burning flesh, the overall message of this story may well be enough to sway them to visit. The Queen Mary’s Chef invites you to join his kitchen crew; you’re absolutely essential to helping him prepare his next meal.
Feast is a gross-out maze designed to make your stomach churn. You’re whisked through the tight corridors of the Queen, and brush up against some meaty strong arms of the Chef’s crew. Each push you along the line, leading you deeper and deeper into the bowels of the ship, until you are face to face with the meat-grinder itself. As you might have guessed, you are tonight’s main course. Cleverly designed, you can opt to crawl through this industrial-sized meat grinder, and slither over buzzing blades on your way to the oven.
Photo: Taylor Winters
This is one of the longer mazes in Dark Harbor, and the amount of stairs and corridors are enough to consider this maze your “leg day.” The slight physical toll is well worth its price though, as you end your journey in the engine room, reflecting dazzling colored lights amongst the pipes. A quiet retrospective that feels a little out of place for the rest of the maze, but one that reminds you of the awe-inspiring reality of the ship. With spirits like these, you’re never really alone.
There is no secret bar in this maze, but it does lead you out at the only bar to serve every themed cocktail available at Dark Harbor. While it could feel gimmicky to some, others might find the charm of imbibing in a part of a ship that few people get to see the chance of a lifetime, and well worth the price of admission.
Photo: Taylor Winters
CIRCUS
Refreshingly different from your standard take on circus life, this maze does not start with a carnival barker. Instead, it starts with a quiet mime, whose clown work is hauntingly ethereal. Offering his heart straight out of his chest, and warning you not to go in, it’s not for the faint of, well, you know. This sets the tone for scares of the quieter nature, the ventriloquist dummy without a voice or the endless hall of mirrors, all designed to lure you through the circus tent, and give you the brief sense of stillness before ambushing you with terrifying clowns and freaks.
Photo: Taylor Winters
The characters in this haunt are some of the most delightful to interact with for the brief moments you can. All seem to be rich with backstory designed to entertain with bizarre mannerisms, witty one-liners, and quick changes from friendly to fiendish.
Longer and with more motorized or fair-like attractions than the other haunts, its playful nature is its cornerstone accomplishment, blending the funhouse vibes with bloody nightmares. It is devilishly clever with sprinkles of mischief throughout, a ball pit here, swirling walkways and secret bars there, but make no mistake, the place is so wonderfully twisted it could tangle up a contortionist.
Photo: Taylor Winters
INTREPID
Crossing the Atlantic was once the most attractable part of the Queen Mary, while now stationed on the Pacific; it’s nice to revisit its roots, this time by train to Edinburgh. Aboard the monstrously loud train are ghastly figures, spending eternity staring out windows. However, you are eventually dropped off in the quiet Scottish country, a little too quiet for comfort.
Scenic in nature, this isn’t your typical jump-scare kind of haunt; creatures lurk in wide-open spaces appearing out of nowhere through the fog, bumping up the overwhelming creep factor to “I’m being watched” level scary. Its evocative 1930s Scottish aesthetic lends itself well for striking images of death, decay, and ashy snow that literally falls out of the sky. Built around the already standing themed buildings outside the Queen Mary; you jump from train to cemetery to rolling foggy hill paths of the countryside in one gorgeous swoop.
Photo: Taylor Winters
The Queen Mary itself was built in Scotland, making this haunt perfectly canon with the lore of the place. Of all lines though, this is perhaps the only one that you should wait in the general admission line for, as you must walk through the giant fire-spitting train’s dark corridor before you actually get to the main line – a bit of a bonus scare, for those who weren’t able to upgrade their tickets.
This maze is genuinely the prettiest of all the mazes, and a freeing departure from the twisted corridors inside the ship. Though it still has its standard haunt surprises around every corner, one can’t be blamed for lingering a little too long in each scene, taking in every delightfully damned detail.
Photo: Taylor Winters
B340
Based around the haunting of room “B340” aboard the ship, this haunt is unlike any other. Nightmarish hellscapes await those willing to climb inside the tortured mind of a suicidal man forever bound inside Room B340’s walls.
Photo: Taylor Winters
What starts as the gruesome crime scene of his death by gunshot becomes a terrifying and extravagant maze onboard the ship. A standout room, where anyone with a fear of heights is in for a hell of a time, complements the otherworldly look of the haunt. The lighting design, electrical wires buzzing, and racing psychosis of a fever dream keep you guessing as to what you will see next, and who exactly is behind every corner.
Each scene is thought out in dark Technicolor, as masked figures silently surprise you or follow you through the tight hallways of the maze. Instead of dark tapestries that you might find in other haunts separating rooms, you’re instead walking through doorways and closets filled with coats from scene to scene. This one stands out as more of a psychological scare, stirring your inner demons to come out and play – especially for those who can find the secret bar inside.
Photo: Taylor Winters
CONCLUSION
This year Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor has spared no ghostly trick to entertain you from start to finish. Each haunt feels unique and even if you’ve been through it in years passed, many new surprises, rooms, and jump-scares have been added to keep you on your toes. A decade of experience has made this a frightful destination for screams and thrills.
No matter the hour, there always seems to be a ghost or ghoul dancing the night away above the front gates, enticing you inside to find an impressive list of attractions and spooky sideshows. It’s so incredibly much, that one visit scarcely feels like enough time to see and find it all, though it’s certainly worth trying. In truth, the most vivid spirit aboard the Queen might just be the sense of adventure and adrenaline that awaits anyone daring enough to explore its haunted shores.
Photo: Taylor Winters
Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor is running now through November 2nd. Find out more about Dark Harbor, and buy tickets, HERE. Make sure to subscribe to our Event Calendar for more haunts and horror experiences throughout the year.
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