Let’s Go to the Movies with Rotten Apple 2023

Rotten Apple 907 is the constant in the Southern California home haunt scene—beginning in 1990 as a party for their daughter and now extending into the legend category. This home haunt is anything but what you’d think of when you think a home haunt. The walk-through experience lasts five or so minutes, bringing you through seven distinct films. While Horrorwood Video, Horror Rewind, Castle Dark, and others have used a similar concept, Rotten Apple 2023 ’s “Let’s Go To The Movies” is an exceptional exploration of horror films and immerses you in the terror.

Rotten Apple 2023 starts their immersion in line, offering guests a ticket to the movies. As the red velvet rope is pulled back and an usher invites you to step inside, he explains that the California Theater, opened in 1952 but subsequently shut down under mysterious circumstances. Yet, somehow, it has reopened in 2023 and is now playing six of your favorite films (and a Rotten Apple 2023 original). These include The Conjuring, Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, Beetlejuice, Attack of Rotten Apple, Arachnophobia, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, The Ring, and a final surprise for those who think there’s not an after-credit scene. Each film occupies their own theater (or room) and even has a sign above the door to appropriately let audiences known what film they are about to experience.

Each film showcases what makes Rotten Apple so special. While they could have bought simple crows from Michaels for The Birds—Rotten Apple 2023 goes above and beyond, creating movable and life-like birds that tilt their head and flap their wings. It’s impressive and differentiates this haunt from the others. Even in the small rooms, the scare actors find little alcoves to hide and surprise, creating numerous jump-scares and had our party screaming. In The Ring, they do this masterfully, as all attention is on Samara emerging from a strobing well, only for a second Samara to emerge from the forest behind. This misdirection works so well and legitimately scared us on more than one occasion.

The sets are as gorgeous as you’d expect from this haunted house. Rotten Apple 2023 completely transforms the front of their residential home into a façade that appears to be a functioning movie theater, complete with film posters, a ticket booth, and a lobby full of bug-infested cotton candy and vintage horror snacks, like Sour Patch Mummies, Psychokinesis Pieces, Jeepers Creepers, and Killer Jujubees. I love little details like this and its so fun to try to catch them all. Arachnaphobia has enough spiders and strings hanging from the ceiling that you’ll leave itching your neck just to make sure nothing escaped the film with you back into the world. And Killer Klowns is exceptionally fun in décor—and scent. The cotton candy smells much fresher here—but I don’t recommend trying it nonetheless.

Rotten Apple 2023’s Lets Go to The Movies may be my favorite Rotten Apple experience to date. They captured the magic of each one of these seven films, creating scares that were expertly executed, landing with the efficiency of a team who know their craft. The films are a perfect assortment that are equal parts fun, memorable, and terrifying. This is one movie theater I would buy an unlimited film pass to!

Rotten Apple is located at 907 N. California Street, Burbank, California and supports the Volunteers of the Burbank Animal Shelter. The lines for this haunted house can extend for a block or more and they do cut the line off if it gets too long, so make sure you arrive early if you want to catch this limited screening. For more information about Rotten Apple 2023, check out their Facebook, Instagram, and website. For information about similar events, check out our Event Calendar.

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