Dark Harvest (previously known as The Fleshyard) is an Orange County/Inland Empire haunt staple—and as such, they have partnered before with other haunt giants like Perdition Home, Pirates’ Cave, and this year, Hauntington Beach Manor. While Hauntington Beach Manor’s Followers of Pythia occupies one side of the lot – Dark Harvest 2023 has the larger footprint with two separate haunts: Shady Pines Asylum and The Scary Clowns. Both haunts are traditional, linear, walkthrough mazes that last 5 or so minutes, and rely on darkness, jump-scares, and surprises to elicit fear. The highlight is the interactivity, energy, and humor that comes from the clowns, making this a great introductory maze for those younger haunters looking to try out a haunted maze—and there’s more than enough for veteran haunt fans to enjoy themselves.

Dark Harvest 2023 Arrival and Lines

We arrived right at opening. We watched the many clowns emerge from The Scary Clown place and begin to mingle with the crowds. There was one wearing a shirt offering “Free Hugs”, another who posed suggestively in the doorway when he noticed our cameras, and another who rode his unicycle with ease around guests and clowns alike. While we waited for the Shady Pines Asylum to open, the clowns engaged with the guests waiting in line with the skill of an expert comedian corralling a hecklers in the audience of a comedy club. They teased the parents, egged on the tough guys, and offered moments of connection to the many kids in line, ensuring they felt safe as they entered the haunted house.

Even as we exited and waited for other haunts, we could hear laughter coming from the Shady Pines Asylum line. At one point, “Thriller” blasted through the air. Turning and expecting the thriller dance, I was surprised to see just a bunch of clowns gyrating their hips and moving their tushies to the sound of Michael Jackson. It was hilarious. At another point, they all engaged with an Asylum inmate who wandered out with a charred corpse, creating narratives around the burnt body. I could have stayed here all night and enjoyed the immersive improvisation—a true highlight of Dark Harvest 2023.

Shady Pines Asylum

While the line was truly interactive and engagement, many of the immersive elements of last year’s Shady Pines Asylum have been transferred to The Scary Clowns. The reception desk and inmate takeover is now removed, and instead, guests wander through a set of caves and swamp before entering the Asylum. While I couldn’t find any backstory on why we were reentering the Asylum or what has happened to the inmates following the takeover, this does appear to be a sequel.

We found the old waiting room, with bodies wrapped up in white sheets and tied in ropes. We entered the kitchens to find a bear-masked perpetrator chasing us around shelves full of spoiled foods. And we found an old doctor—or someone wearing the doctor’s face—electrocuting the prior staff. There’s some good scares here and strong theming, but it definitely lacks some of the bigger scares of last year.

The Scary Clowns

Once finished with Dark Harvest 2023’s Shady Pines Asylum, guests exit and make their way back to the front to enter The Scary Clowns. This walkthrough haunted house is themed as a motel taken over by clowns—and while it is clown themed, the majority of the clowns hang out in front of Shady Pines—not the motel.

Step foot in the hotel and a clown asks you to check in for a room. We told him we had an appointment, and after some banter, we were given Room 69 and sent on our way. The actors were far more engaging and interactive here—often asking us what room we were looking for.

There’s lots of clowns in this maze, some real and some fake, creating some quality scares. While we never found our room and had to sleep outside the motel—we appreciate how helpful so many of the clowns inside were. They are the real heroes of Dark Harvest 2023.

Final Thoughts

Dark Harvest 2023 took an incredible maze from last year and separated it into two smaller haunted houses. While both are entertaining in their own way, Shady Pines focuses more on jump scares and The Scary Clowns is more interactive scares. My favorite aspect of Dark Harvest 2023 was engaging with the set of clowns while waiting in line. They always had a new trick to show and a new joke to unveil. As I said above, I’d watch them as a comedy performance all night if I could. Maybe people snuck back into Shady Pines to see more of the clowns!

Also, don’t forget to check out Hauntington Beach Manor’s Followers of Pythia in the same lot. It’s an exceptional maze that traps guests in the horrors of their own mind.

For more information about Dark Harvest 2023, check out their Facebook, Instagram, and website. For information about similar events, check out our Event Calendar.

Haunting is a resource for immersive theater and horror fans in Los Angeles and across the world, promoting art and community. Want to help us reach even more people, and get some cool perks and experiences? For as little as $1 a month, you can join our Patreon and help us keep bringing content to life.

If you like the above article and want to find more like it, make sure to join our community. If Facebook is your favorite, follow us there and become a part of our groups for Immersive Horror fans and/or Immersive creators. We’re active on Instagram, posting evocative imagery and informative stories to promote our reviews and recollections; follow us there. You can even find us on twitter; click here to follow. And subscribe to our event calendar to get emails for all or specific events (look for the link right under the calendar)! Finally, we have a newsletter that comes out once a week; click here to sign up.