The following is a review of LA Haunted Hayride Drive-In. It contains minor spoilers.

Our eyes are fixed on the screen as Monte Revolta concludes a catchy and dramatic musical number with a sweeping summoning gesture to all the undead in the area.They seem to materialize from every shadowy corner of the drive-in, shambling towards us in time with the music. Revolta switches on a cinematic vignette, and we’re too busy watching the screen to notice a figure flanking the car. By the time we see the deranged female clown in the rearview mirror, it’s already too late. She throws herself towards the window of the car, firing something that looks like a taser. Half of our car lets out blood curdling screams while the other half collapse in fits of laughter at our distress.The clown in question smiles mockingly at us and skips away with a loud rattling noise. We turn back to the film with smiles on our faces, slightly more wary than before. 

Hayride Goes Inside

Los Angeles Haunted Hayride: Live Drive-Up Experience is a socially distanced Halloween performance and haunt in San Dimas. Each hour-long time slot features a drive-through tour of spooky sets that culminates with a drive-in style performance and a chance to get up close and personal with the scare actors. The sets during both the drive-through and the drive-in are both high quality and provide some great photo ops from your car. The show masquerades as a film festival, but it’s mostly a distraction to give the scare actors opportunities to sneak up on your car. The tone is fun, campy, and celebratory – an event designed for those who love Halloween as much as the staff at Haunting does.This is a down-to-earth but fun-filled crowd pleaser that captures the spirit of the holiday. 

Monte Revolta functions as the show’s MC and headliner, and his catchy tunes provide the backdrop for lights, theatrics, and scare actor performances.The actors will not touch you or your car, but they’re able to execute jump-scares effectively with noise, props, and theatrical presence. Interaction also varies by location and ticket level, with VIP tickets offering the chance to exit your car and join a private hayride cart for you and your party. The actors travel between the parked cars and cover a great deal of ground, but the audience sizes are large so upgrading your ticket will likely increase the number of scares you get. The performance itself is an enjoyable variety show of music videos and horror shorts. Overall, LA Haunted Hayride Drive-In manages to deliver a great deal of production value with solid logistical efforts (it’s no small feat to move that many cars in and out of a space). It’s a fun, upbeat, thematic, and approachable Halloween event for almost anyone to enjoy. 

At the Drive-In

Upon arriving, there is a long line of cars leading into the drive-in experience. However, this isn’t just your normal queue; instead, the road is lined with numerous set pieces from prior Haunted Hayride attractions and other spooky decor. The setting is the creepy town of Midnight Falls, which is full of monsters, serpents, undead brides, and demons. As the line goes slow, this offers the perfect opportunity for guests to slow down for a picture, especially with the iconic pumpkin pyramid that is always out front of the Haunted Hayride. 

Once in, the classic driv-in ambiance is created via a simple setup with a main screen over the set and VIP area and two smaller screens flanking each side of the drive-in space. The overall impression is of being invited to a late night movie party run by the undead, for the undead, to whom we are unwitting spectators or, perhaps, the concessions. It’s here that guests settle in to watch films, led by Monte and his undead band, as the haunt actors roam the location. 

Zombie Rock Stars

Overall, the acting quality and production value is on the higher side of the drive through experiences that the Haunting staff have attended. Haunted Hayride Drive-In puts its focus on the drive-in films and video of Monte, with the scare-actors being the side dish to the experience, not the main course. They will interact with you, but they are mostly there for scares. There isn’t a big narrative, but it’s fun, spooky, and celebratory. 

Monte Revolta is ourguide for the evening, in addition to being the headliner. For those of you who went to Sinister Pointe’s Scary Place or Monsterpalooze, you may be familiar with this goth-rock superstars, but this was my first time seeing the notorious undead horror rocker, and he didn’t disappoint. He can be found in person en route to the drive-in, cracking jokes over radio from a run-down RV. The performance that follows is pre-recorded, but the result is that the team delivers a polished variety show of ironic music videos and spooky shorts. Monte Revolta’s charming yet sinister aesthetic is a microcosm of the entire experience, which feels themed around his massive personality. I particularly enjoyed the sultry and graphic “Doo Wop and Die”, a horror love song parody that had me swaying along and chuckling under my breath. “Bring on the Blood” is another highlight, a sort of anthem to all things campy horror. 

The zombie scare actors are great at their jobs. They manage to each have unique personalities (and weapons) while also feeling like a cohesive cohort of undead drive-in workers.They know what they’re doing and how to catch you off guard. It’s refreshing to do a drive through haunt that manages to deliver on it’s jump scares, as this new format has beeen used frequently with varying results by haunts like The Bite and Urban Legends. Stilt walkers with pumpkin faces, clowns with electrical implements, and chainsaws wielded by half rotten hands all allow for a balance of the frightening, the fun, and the bizarre. Interaction will vary, but there’s a lot to see and hear as the actors make their rounds. The cast is a well oiled machine, and the end result feels very intentional and coordinated. 

The “short horror film fest” concept doesn’t really land in such a short performance, and I quickly gave up trying to follow any plot or context around what was happening on screen. Instead I chose to lose myself in the mood, the music, and the scares, and I think this was for the best. This is what works so well about the experience: those who want to focus on the films can, while those who’d rather watch the scare actors, and get surprised themselves, can as well.  For those who are curious, the film festival is made up of crypt TV shorts.  Our performance included the popular and  unsettling “Goodnight” about a monster under a little girl’s bed, the festive and vengeful “Pumpkin Eaters Wife” about female revenge, and a third short I hadn’t seen before about one best friend’s murderous loyalty.  Overall, Monte Revolta is just fun as the festival’s MC and creates a space to celebrate the spooky with utmost enthusiasm. 

Audience Engagement

The Haunted Hayride Drive-In audience members are mostly passive observers. While you can exchange brief words with some of the scare actors, the experience is more similar to a walkthrough haunt. Most of your engagement will come from within the car, as you dance with your friends, point out zombies, or laugh at the screams coming from other cars. All told, this is going to feel like a seated theater experience. Audio is delivered by radio, in typical drive-in fashion. The experience allows for a safe Halloween experience by keeping you contained within your vehicle. 

Recommendations

One important aspect of navigating the experience is the various ticket types. Standard and Preferred tickets are both pretty far from the screen, although the preferred section has access to secondary screens for an easier time seeing the content. The VIP section is towards the front, providing a solidview of the screen and set. The Platinum section is outdoor seating by party in individual hay wagons.The wagons are charming and the view of the set is probably worth springing for pricier tickets. Please note that only Platinum tickets are all inclusive of people in the car. Other ticket types will require you to pay to add additional passengers. 

Haunted Hayride Drive-In packs a lot of cars into their drive-in space. The result is that a lot of the show time is taken up by getting people into and out of their assigned spaces. Depending on your ticket type, you may have to wait in line when entering and exiting.  Leave yourself plenty of time – the show recommends checking in 15 minutes early so that you can get in line for your section. Each section has a lot of space, so earlier arrivals may get better spots within their assigned sections. Overall, the staff does a great job of safely coordinating the logistics of the space, directing traffic to keep things sane.

Final Thoughts on Haunted Hayride Drive-In

Haunted Hayride Drive-In is a fun and covid-responsive rendition of a classic high production Halloween event. The experience delivers fun, campy, and nostalgic horror alongside great music and solid scares. Guests can expect to laugh along with their friends while enjoying beautiful sets and video content. With the exception of the jump scares, the event is pretty tame. This is a thoroughly enjoyable and mostly passive performance experience in a traditional drive-in setting. I highly recommend it to families and groups of friends alike. 

Haunted Hayride Drive-In is like a Halloween party from your car. It’s lighthearted and celebratory, the pinnacle of everything that makes Halloween fun. Don’t expect much of the shorts themselves, but enjoy being surrounded by an atmosphere of delightful Halloween camp. As is generally recommended with drive through haunts,make sure to attend with people you don’t mind waiting around in the car with. Also pay attention to your ticket type selection and make sure to arrive early to give yourself the best chance for a good spot. And don’t speed through the sets, they are one of the best parts of the experience and time is built in for you to drive slowly and take pictures. Then turn up your radio and settle in for the show. Overall, this is a high production cornerstone experience that brings Halloween to everyone.

Haunted Hayride Drive-In is bringing LA classic Alice Cooper style shockrock, moody shorts, and fun scares. If you’ve been wondering where to store your Halloween fanaticism during such a strange haunt season, Haunted Hayride Drive-In is just the thing to remind you that the Halloween spirit isn’t dead and, if anything, is stronger than ever. Something about sharing an open space with other horror fans is cathartic and affirming during an isolated time. So put on your best costume, grab some snacks, and gear up for the drive-in fright of the season.This is one for your short list.

Check out our review of a previous, in-person version of L.A. Haunted Hayride here.

For more information on Haunted Hayride Drive-In check out their website, facebook, and instagram.

Check out our Event Guide for more Halloween and horror events throughout the year.

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