OC LIVE : Chill Factors : Here’s a Glance at Where Young and Old Can Scare Up Halloween Fun

Zombies and mutants will always be hot--or cold, as the case may be--during Halloween weekend. But that doesn’t mean folks who don’t go for gore are shut out of the seasonal festivities.

SEASONAL HAUNTS

Possibilities for a bewitching celebration range from the tame to the titillating.

The Anaheim Firefighters Assn. operated one of the scariest non-commercial haunted houses around for many years. But the witching season and the fire season often conflicted, causing the off-duty firefighters running it to have to close shop to fight fires.

So this year, the firefighters have passed the torch--along with truckloads of gory, ghoulish and otherwise creepy props and special effects--to the folks at the Orange and Anaheim YMCAs. Those organizations will operate the 3,000-square-foot haunted house as a fund-raiser evermore, to benefit their Parent/Child Indian Program.

In the parking lot of Camelot Golfland, the haunted house offers 15 different scenes inspired by classic and contemporary horror films, and a cast of about 60 costumed monsters providing live thrills and chills. If it proves too intense, there are also a half dozen “chicken exits,” which have received pretty heavy use in past years.

Youngsters and the faint of heart can peruse the setup with the lights on, sans monsters, during “kiddie time,” 5 to 6 p.m.

From 6 to midnight, the lights go off and the ghouls come out; there is no minimum age, but Dennis Ivison, an Anaheim firefighter and haunted house consultant, gives it a PG-13 rating. “We’ve had grown men go out those chicken exits every night.”

Anaheim and Orange YMCAs’ Haunted House at Camelot Golfland, 3200 E. Carpenter Ave., Anaheim. Nightly through Halloween. $3 to $5. (714) 635-9622.

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There are monsters lurking inside the Children’s Museum at La Habra, and young thrill seekers are invited to maneuver a series of twists, turns, secret doors and hidden passageways to find them. Billed as “only a little scary,” the maze features low walls and diffused lighting. Should the intrigue prove too much, there’s also an occasional toy corner for play breaks. Recommended for ages 2 through 8.

Halloween “Unhaunted” House, Children’s Museum at La Habra, 301 S. Euclid St., La Habra. Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 1:30 to 4 p.m. 75 cents for children under 16, free for accompanying adults; museum admission is $4. (310) 905-9793.

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A number of communities are throwing their own Halloween festivities this weekend.

In Santa Ana, there are carnivals and haunted houses at four community centers: El Salvador Center (1825 W. Civic Center Drive), Jerome Center (726 S. Center St.), Memorial Center (2102 S. Flower St.) and Santa Anita Center (300 S. Figueroa St.). Carnivals run 5:30 to 9 p.m., and admission is free. Haunted houses (recommended for school-age children and up) are open from 6 to 9 p.m. $1. (714) 647-6558.

In Rancho Santa Margarita, the annual Halloween Boo Blast and Crafts Fair gets underway Saturday at the R.S.M. Lake Amphitheater on the northern end of the man-made lake. Activities include a children’s costume parade, a pet’s costume parade, trick roping, clowns, kids karaoke, craft sales, food and game booths. The Boy Scouts’ haunted house (50 cents) for ages 3 and older is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Halloween Boo Blast and Crafts Fair, R.S.M. Lake Amphitheater at Antonio Parkway and Los Flores, Rancho Santa Margarita. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free. (714) 589-4272.

Anaheim’s annual Fall Festival kicks off with a pancake breakfast at 7 a.m. and continues till long after dark with a costume parade, barbecue, chili cook-off, line dancing and live music. There’s a kiddie carnival and an open house at the new Disney Ice arena, plus a haunted house that’s open Friday through Sunday.

Anaheim Fall Festival, on and around West Harbor Place between Harbor and Anaheim boulevards. Saturday 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.; event times vary. Free admission but $2 to $4 for some activities. (714) 999-3456.

ACTING CREEPY

Fans of the garage “Phantom” in Cypress should be advised that the Parker family, who has masterminded the annual show, is taking this season off, preparing for a new and improved “Phantom” in ’96.

Meanwhile, if the words “quoth the raven, nevermore . . .” give you the willies, you may enjoy “Nevermore: The Last Night of Edgar Allan Poe” at Orange Coast College. The one-act work by OCC theater professor David Scaglione and student George Almond features excerpts from Poe works, along with passages from personal letters that chronicle some of the author’s darkest moments. Recommended for ages 12 through adult.

“Nevermore: The Last Night of Edgar Allan Poe,” Orange Coast College Drama Lab Studio, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. Performances are Friday 8 p.m., Saturday 7 and 9:30 p.m., Sunday 2 and 7 p.m. and Tuesday 10 p.m. $5. (714) 432-5932.

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The Theatre District is presenting a stage version of “Dracula” that a spokeswoman says is “classical and romantic . . . no blood, no gore.” Written by Crane Johnson, the play is recommended for teens on up.

“Dracula” at the Theatre District, 2930 E. Bristol St. (in the back lot of The Lab Anti-Mall), Costa Mesa. Through Nov. 12. This weekend’s shows are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m. Special Halloween performance Tuesday at 9 p.m. $15. (714) 435-4043.

HORROR STORIES

Libraries and bookstores across the county will be hosting Halloween story hours and special events now through the witching night. Here are a couple to consider; check your favorite bookstore or library for more.

On Sunday at 11:30 a.m., Borders Books and Music (25222 El Paseo, Mission Viejo) presents Halloween stories, a costume parade and goodies all around. Free. (714) 367-0005.

On Tuesday, in the courtyard outside Bookstar in the Brea Marketplace (Birch Street at State College Boulevard), there will be Halloween-themed story hours for kids at 4 and 7 p.m. The store will also host a costume contest with prizes in children’s and adults’ categories, while the Marketplace will offer trick-or-treating, plus crafts and strolling entertainment from 3 to 7 p.m. Free. (714) 256-4995.

ASSORTED TREATS

Even Rover won’t feel left out of the Halloween festivities this year. On Saturday, Newport Dunes Resort will host its annual dog fashion show and costume contest on the beach, featuring such categories as best swimwear, best Halloween costume and--for the truly uninhibited--best master/pet look alike. Doggie-themed music runs all day, and dog and people snacks will be sold. Proceeds benefit Companion Pet Retreat, which cares for pets of terminally ill patients.

The third annual Top Dog Fashion Show at Newport Dunes Resort, 1131 Backbay Drive, Newport Beach. Saturday 11 a.m. to about 12:30 p.m. Free admission and parking. Registration: $5 in advance, $10 at the door. (714) 729-3863.

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Oak Canyon Nature Center in Anaheim Hills offers three different Halloween workshops for preschool through grade school.

At 10 a.m., it’s “Halloween Fun,” with crafts, animals, an easy hike and a cookie-decorating session for ages 2 to 4.

At 1 p.m., “Halloween Creepers” takes the edge off bats, tarantulas and other scary critters with a ranger-led talk and hike, plus crafts, cookie decorating and treats. Costumes are encouraged, and parent participation is required for both of these; space is limited. Ages 4 to 6.

From 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., older children can embark on “Halloween Adventures,” which features “ghoulish games, creepy crafts and tricky treats” for ages 7 to 10. Costumes are fine; parents are optional.

Oak Canyon Nature Center Halloween workshops, 6700 E. Walnut Canyon Road, Anaheim. Tuesday at 10 a.m., 1 and 3:30 p.m. $3 per child. Reservations suggested. (714) 998-8380.

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Youngsters 8 to 12 can stop by the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary on Friday for the “Amazing Bats” workshop presented by Sea & Sage Audubon. Activities will include a bat radar game, bat crafts (bat mobiles?), bat refreshments and a naturalist-led discussion on such topics as where to find bats in Orange County.

“Amazing Bats” at the Duck Club of the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary, Jamboree and Michelson boulevards, Irvine. Friday 4 to 6 p.m. $5. (714) 261-7963.

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“Merry, not scary” fun is the goal at the Santa Ana Zoo’s annual Halloween bash, with a costume parade, storytelling, animal encounters and trick-or-treat stations. Carved pumpkins can be submitted today between noon and 4 p.m. for this weekend’s contest; afterward, they will be recycled as treats for the zoo animals. Costumes encouraged.

Boo at the Zoo Halloween Festival, Santa Ana Zoo, 1801 E. Chestnut Ave., Santa Ana. Friday through Sunday 5:30 to 8 p.m. Admission for all ages is $4 advance, $5 at the door. (714) 953-8555.

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At the Launch Pad’s “Halloween Science” workshops, ages 5 to 12 can uncover such mysteries as why dry ice makes creepy smoke and what makes glow-in-the-dark items glow. Tickets to the 90-minute sessions include admission to the hands-on science center’s newest exhibit, “Geometry in Our World.”

Launch Pad science center’s “Halloween Science” on Saturday and Sunday. Five- to 7-year-olds meet at 1 p.m.; 8- to 12-year-olds at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. $8. (714) 546-2061.

SLICKER AND SCARIER

Mickey himself jumps on the Halloween bandwagon for the first time this year, apparently spurred by the enormous success of the competition’s annual blowout, Knott’s Scary Farm (see below).

Not surprisingly, Disneyland takes a less gruesome route to Halloween fun. “Mickey’s Halloween Treat” will feature rare appearances by some of Disney’s best-loved villains. Costumed characters roaming the park will include Maleficent from “Sleeping Beauty” and Cruella De Vil from “One Hundred and One Dalmatians.”

Ghosts will hang out at the Haunted Mansion, and real pirates will be carousing in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Trick-or-treaters will get free goodies. Meanwhile, all the park’s night-time operating rides will be open.

Costumes are encouraged, but no masks are allowed.

“Mickey’s Halloween Treat” at Disneyland, 1313 Harbor Blvd., Anaheim. Tonight, Friday (sold out), Monday and Tuesday from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. $25; $20 for ages 3 to 11. (714) 999-4565.

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Around these parts, the award for the most imitation blood and guts spilled during the haunting season must surely go to Knott’s Scary Farm, the 23-year-old Halloween event that turns the “Friendliest Place in the West” into a park-wide nightmare so intense the park strongly discourages kids under 12 from attending.

About 1,000 costumed ghouls roam the park, and three rides are re-themed with live monsters and “disorienting” special effects. There are seven walk-through mazes, including the new Ghost Town Dead and Breakfast, and live shows such as the new “Knott’s Gory Tales,” hosted by the Cryptkeeper from TV’s “Tales of the Crypt.” Knott’s Scary Farm guests are not allowed to wear costumes at any time.

The Halloween fare for younger kids is much milder. During daylight hours, Camp Spooky features costume contests, themed shows and entertainment, hands-on activities and trick-or-treat stations for kids under 12. Children are encouraged to come in costume.

Knott’s Berry Farm, 8039 Beach Blvd., Buena Park. Knott’s Scary Farm continues tonight through Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. (Saturday is sold out.) $29 to $32. Camp Spooky activities continue 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Free with park admission: $17 to $29. (714) 220-5200.

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For those seeking an old-fashioned adrenaline rush, Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament’s “Haunted Knights” features “horrifying deeds of terror and torment from centuries past” in its in-house “museum of torture” plus “spine-tingling battles to the death” by costumed knights on horseback, all set in a mock 11th-Century castle.

If you actually have an appetite after all this, the two-hour package also includes a four-course meal. Costumes are allowed.

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, 7662 Beach Blvd., Buena Park. “Haunted Knights” tonight, Friday and Saturday at 6:30 and 8:45 p.m., Sunday at 4:30 and 7 p.m. and Monday and Tuesday at 7 p.m. Reservations required. $22.95 to $39.95. (714) 521-4740.

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You’d expect a theme park that caters to young children to be gore-free, and Adventure City doesn’t disappoint. It shies away from the ghouls and goblins shtick, offering what a park spokesman called “a fun, clean, safe alternative” to traditional Halloween festivities. Features include a special children’s stage show with puppets, a kiddie costume parade around the park and free treats for all. Kids are encouraged to come in “unscary” costumes.

Adventure City, Beach Boulevard between Ball Road and Cerritos Avenue, Anaheim. Halloween hours are Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Tuesday 4 to 9:30 p.m. $2.95 to $9.95. (714) 236-9300.

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The five-acre family fun center called Palace Park offers a storyteller, a “carnival of wonders” puppet theater and free readings by a fortuneteller. There’s a costume contest Saturday and a pumpkin-carving contest Sunday. Costumes are encouraged, but masks are prohibited for safety reasons.

Palace Park, 3405 Michelson Drive, Irvine. Saturday 10 a.m. to midnight, Sunday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Halloween 10 a.m. to midnight. Admission is free; unlimited-ride wristbands are $10 to $12. (714) 559-8336.

* CHILDREN’S LISTINGS, F22

* HALLOWEEN LISTINGS, F23