Once a majestic beauty, she is now land-locked, trapped and chained, the hopes of a reunion with her aqueous love now eroded. Her hull is aged and torn with time. But tonight, she is inviting us inside. To see not only the ghosts that haunt her exterior, but the ones she keeps close, the secrets hidden within. The Grey Phantom returned in 2021 with their home haunt: The Boogeyman is Here.

The Grey Phantom’s The Boogeyman is Here is a home haunt in Norwalk, CA, and offers a traditional linear walkthrough experience through a massive façade of the World War II era version of The Queen Mary. Running approximately five minutes, the sets here are gorgeous and on full display, immersing you in a ship far larger on the inside than the outside. With a few actors inside to provide jump-scares and fill out the lore, it’s a fantastic experience for those wanting to see The Queen Mary or Dark Harbor one more time.

The Grey Phantom is celebrating it’s second year now, a far cry from the age of the actual Queen Mary; but you couldn’t guess that from the experience. It began in 2020 as a Halloween Display, offering short vignettes as homage and tribute to the now-dark Dark Harbor. And as Dark Harbor remains closed during 2021, The Grey Phantom has slid into the void, occupying a small piece of the massive negative space left by the themed Halloween attraction. We got a small taste of what’s to come at CreepItReal in OC, but what we experienced was far better than what we could have imagined.

Now, a walkthrough this year, The Grey Phantom’s The Boogeyman is Here invites guests into three main rooms of the ship. The first is a suite at the bow of the ship, showcasing the elegance and sophistication of the Queen Mary. Here, a gloved hand taps impatiently as if it is waiting for you to join a night of decadence and indulgence; a real grandfather clock remains silent as if time has stopped here for the passengers within, and dolls have taken residence, offering an eerie feel to an otherwise beautiful cabin. Yet, it’s the painting at the end of the hallway that caught our attention—a portrait of a woman surrounded by pinned advertisements for the Grey Phantom; but the woman shifts with time, as her skin turns pale and her wet and dark, her fate is a forecast for what may become of us.

The next two rooms bring jump scares to the forefront, offering some engagement with the actors and some clever nods to Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor. The elegance is replaced by the mechanical and steel innards of the ship; the lighting shifts to a deep red; and an axe-wielding man attacks you from across a chain-link fence. Reminiscence of B340 at Dark Harbor, it’s easy to feel the madness take over in this room—and the final area showcases this further.

In a clever effect to simulate water, fog and lasers combine over a soundtrack of crackling electricity. In here, a man with a skeletal fish talks more to his friend or pet than to us. He’s a great actor, showcasing a frenzy and unpredictability that really unnerved us—and with a jump scare from the axe man that we thought we’d left in the previous room, we—along with other guests—ran from the ship, screaming and laughing.

The Grey Phantom proves that The Boogeyman is Here, its sophomore year, is one of growth, refinement, and passion. Shifting from a display to a walkthrough can be difficult, but creator Ernie Veloz and his team has done this exceptionally well. It showcases their love of The Queen Mary and Dark Harbor and creates many of the feel aesthetics, atmospheres, and feeling that Dark Harbor mazes did—but all confined to three rooms. We will continue to board this ship and see where it’s currents will take her.

You can find The Grey Phantom 14338 Funston Ave, Norwalk, CA 90650 during the Halloween season, Friday to Sunday from 7 to 10pm. For more information about The Grey Phantom, check out their Facebook and Instagram pages. For information about similar events, check out our Event Calendar.

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The Grey Phantom presented The Boogeyman Is Here for their 2021 Home Haunt.