An aged church rests at the center of Santa Ana, hushed secrets and rumors surround the horrors that are seen inside. Tonight, I stand in front of that very church, a woman in a plague doctor mask invites me inside. I should have thought twice as she removes a massive wooden block, locking the double doors from the outside. But instead, I blindly follow inside, into a small chamber lit only candlelight. A Ouija board with planchette rests on an old table. Well, go ahead, ask it a question, our plague doctor urges. I should have asked about my loved ones, or my future, but instead, all that comes out is: Will I die tonight? Before the planchette can move, the wall behind me collapses and within the darkness, two large blade-like arms emerge with two blue eyes piercing the darkness. We’ve just entered Santa Ana Haunt’s Shades of Hell – a home haunt in Santa Ana, CA.

With Santa Ana Haunt’s sophomore year, their Shades of Hell experience has expanded what was one of our favorite Halloween haunts last year, creating a longer, more impressive, and well executed experience. I’m hesitant to call this a home haunt, despite this being in and around creator Jesus “Chewie” Garcia’s father’s home; it feels far more like a professional haunted house. Clocking in at over ten minutes, this linear haunted house is characterized by jump scares, gorgeous sets, and strong acting.

Santa Ana Haunt’s Shades of Hell, as the name suggests, is a representation of hell, showcasing some of the best haunt themes you’d expect to see during Halloween. These sets range from the home of an elderly woman left to die alone, a long hallway bathed in black and accented by red laser light, a classic depiction of hell complete with skulls, chains, and mutilated bodies, a child’s room with only her doll collection to keep her company, and of course, a room of jovial clowns who just want to play. Each of these scenes are perfectly decorated, ensuring that for a majority of you, a depiction of hell will be represented here. Whether it’s losing all your loved ones and being abandoned to loneliness and despair, being tortured by hooks and chains, or being trapped in a hellish landscape of dolls and clowns, there are shades of hell here.

Yet, sets are only sets without actors to bring them to life; and the actors at Santa Ana Haunt’s Shades of Hell are more than cut out for the job. With many having strong scare acting backgrounds, hailing from such institutions like Knott’s Scary Farm, they are experts at scaring and engaging with audiences. Unlike other home haunts, this experience is overflowing with actors, ensuring that you are consistently surprised, startled, and unnerved. From the earnest emotion laced in the elderly woman’s voice, begging us to stay with her, not to leave her alone to the laughs and giggles of the two clowns just wanting to play games and feel joy one more time, there’s a certain melancholy that’s subtly imbued as an undertone to this work of art. These actors bring layers to their performance, elevating a haunt to something more.

Further, there are some innovations at play here. While you will recognize some of the haunt themes utilized here, there are some that come as a surprise. A long tunnel coated in spider webs reveal the silhouette of a woman, creating a sense of dread as you move down this corridor. At its end, though, we find a massive section of complete darkness. But inside, you aren’t alone. The taunts of a final scare actor as you fumble in a large black void is haunting. We love that this isn’t a section of tight walkways that we could easily find our way out of; instead, it took some searching to finally escape Shades of Hell. It felt like a true test to finally return to the world of the living.

Santa Ana Haunt and their sophomore haunt Shades of Hell are must-sees. They have taken some traditional haunt themes, elevated them with layered performances from fantastic actors, and placed them within innovative spaces that require some ducking, exploring, and playing to escape. This is a great example of a haunted house that has both grown exponentially from its first endeavor, but is also growing out of the categorization of a home haunt, proving that they are truly something special and worthy of your attention. It’s a gritty, dark, and scary depiction of Hell; and we hope that you visit so that the souls trapped there can feel just a little less alone.

You can find Santa Ana Haunt at 2309 W Cubbon St, Santa Ana, CA, running through the Halloween Season from 7pm to 11pm. For more information on Santa Ana Haunt, check out their Instagram page. For information about similar events, check out our Event Calendar.

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Santa Ana Haunt is back for their second annual home haunt called Shades of Hell.