This is Halloween, this is Halloween. The chorus echoes in the distance. Against a cemetery filled with ivy-adorned headstones, each signifying the demise of someone important. But who? Well, there’s Sarah Sanderson: Devoted Sister, Basic Witch; Thackery Dinx: No, it’s not Zachary; and Casper: Before he was a mattress, he was a ghost. A white sheet, in the shape of a floating dog, with a Jack-O-Lantern for a nose floats above his grave. Then I notice Billy Butcherson, dancing quite well to the applause of a crowd. This is just the start to Freeform’s Halloween Road, and I am excited for my journey.

Freeform is back with Halloween Road for 2021 to celebrate their 31 Nights of Halloween, which showcases some of the best Halloween films during the month of October. To truly connect guests to the movies, Freeform’s Halloween Road has recreated iconic elements of these films and invites audiences to step into them, take photos, interact with characters, and immerse themselves in Halloween. As such, participants can walk the Halloween Road, trick or treating at various stations, stop to spin Oogie Boogie’s wheel for a prize, and take numerous professional pictures in scenes from each movie. This is a dream come true for fans of these films, and definitely not one to miss.

Now in its fourth year, Halloween Road can once again return to its in-person roots. Last year, due to Covid, it was reimagined as a drive-through experience. Thus, in 2021—and with precautions that made us feel fully safe—guests can step out of their vehicles and walk the Halloween Road. This allows participants to take their time, really engaging with the sets and actors, and take as many pictures as they’d like. We were asked to show proof of vaccination and encouraged to wear masks while outside, and never felt unsafe in the slightest.

Featuring movies that range from The Addams Family, Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus, Beetlejuice, and Ghostbusters, there are actors in costume from almost all films that are willing to engage and interact with audiences. Ghostbusters, with proton packs lit up, pose in front of an inflated Stay Puff Marshmallow Man. Billy Butcherson rocks out in his graveyard to tunes from a nearby DJ. And Wednesday Addams and Uncle Fester wait in front of their home, ready to place you in an electric chair for a photo opportunity. These actors are perfect, serving to immerse you further in the world of the movie. I could only imagine attending something like this as a kid; I would have believed it was real.

Beyond these characters, there are numerous other interactive spots, shows, and games. Back is Oogie Boogie’s Wheel of Misfortune, which offers not only Tricks and Treats, but also some special Oogie Boogie prizes. New this year is also a dice game in which we were challenged to roll a snake-eyes. If games of chance aren’t your thing, then head over to the Sanderson Sisters’ cottage, where Winifred and Sarah are tending to their potions. Their banter was perfect, commenting on our shirts with no hesitation. Ghosts on my cardigan were suspected of a haunting—or even a possession—and I was recommended to get them excised at once. If you are looking for something a bit sweeter, there are numerous spots throughout the experience that allow for audiences to rush up and yell “trick or treat”. A hand containing candy will emerge, depositing it into your bag. These aren’t just an assortment of unwanted treats–they are some new offerings including Cookies and Cream Twix and Brownie M&M’s. Finally, there’s plenty of music that will get even the most zombified dancing. This includes the Sanderson Sisters taking the stage multiple times throughout the evening to lip-sync to some of your favorite songs from the movie. There’s literally something for everyone here.

If you want pictures with your friends, a loved one, or even just by yourself, each location offers multiple opportunities. Nightmare Before Christmas offers a chance to step onto its iconic spiral hill, backlit by a yellow moon, and to take a photo. If you want something a little less cinematic, you can get strapped onto one of Dr. Finkelstein’s operating tables, complete with beakers, tesla coils, and a towering lab in the background. The Sanderson Sisters offer many picture spots, including an interactive chance to throw open their cottage windows, as well as photos in front of their massive cauldron. There are many, many more—and that’s not even mentioning all the décor and details that can be captured without the aid of Freeform’s professional equipment.

The entire event takes place at the Heritage Square, which offers gorgeous Victorian styled manors all collected from Los Angeles’s past. Much like the nostalgic nature of the films, Heritage Square is the perfect backdrop for Halloween Town, Hocus Pocus, and especially, The Addams Family. There’s nothing like using actual locations for your haunt, and the authenticity of the manors here only make the fake cemeteries and sets feel that much more real.

Freeform has bottled magic in Halloween Road this year. They have distilled your favorite nostalgic Halloween movies into iconic scenes and recreated their aesthetic in perfect detail and beauty in which you can immerse yourself. It’s incredible the level of detail they have gone to. But beyond just walking the Halloween Road, the magic comes through with the actors and the engagement. They are truly creating a connection between you and their world. You’ll leave not just with a bag full of treats—and hopefully only a trick or two—but with memories of living these movies and being a part of the magic that exists in them.

Freeform’s Halloween Road is sold out for 2021 but be sure to check out their 31 night of Halloween: “Shows and movies so frighteningly fun, you can’t look away.”To find other events similar to this one, check out our Event Catalog.

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Freeform’s Halloween Road returns this year. Freeform’s Halloween Road is a weekend long installation with movie themed photo-ops. Freeform’s Halloween Road features Hocus Pocus, Ghostbusters, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Aadams Family.

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