Enough Halloween-Theme Events to Give You the Creeps

Halloween may not fall on a weekend this year, but don’t get spooked: There’s no shortage of holiday events for revelers in O.C. Indeed, there are beaucoup options to the trick-or-treat thing, ranging from haunted houses and whodunits to harvest fests, parades, puppet shows--there’s even a costume contest for Bowser. And you can get a jump on the season if you want, because many events are being held this weekend.

(But if you do make the rounds, don’t forget to save a Hershey bar for Mom. She just hates it when you catch her rooting around in your trick-or-treat sack.)

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HAUNTED HOUSES

A 3,000-square-foot tribute to horror movies awaits outside Camelot Golfland in Anaheim. A fund-raiser for the Orange and Anaheim YMCA’s Indian Guides and Indian Princesses program, it comprises 13 areas, including a rat-infested sewer pipe (OK, there are only three and they’re in a cage, but still--ewwww!). Best for the 10-and-up crowd, although the crew tones it down and leaves the lights on for Kiddie Hour, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Daily through Nov. 2 at Camelot Golfland, 3200 E. Carpenter Ave., Anaheim. 5:30 to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; till midnight Fridays and Saturdays. $3-$5. (714) 633-9622.

At the Anaheim Indoor Marketplace, you can get a blender, a pair of socks--and, through Halloween, a few thrills and chills, as well. This “Halloween Spooktacular” is recommended for ages 10 and up.

Daily except Tuesday through Oct. 31 at the Anaheim Indoor Marketplace, 1440 S. Anaheim Blvd. Today, Friday, Monday and Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 7. $2. (714) 999-0888.

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The Anaheim Museum is pushing 90, but the old girl can still cut loose on Halloween. Starting Friday, it becomes a haunted medieval castle with effects that organizer Sue Richmond describes as “Disney meets Knott’s on a parks-and-rec budget . . . light on gore but with lots of innovative thrills.” Little ones can go through a milder version of the house from 4 to 5 p.m.

Friday through Sunday and Wednesday and Oct. 31 from 4 to 9 p.m at the Anaheim Museum, 241 S. Anaheim Blvd. $3. (714) 778-3301.

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Leave it to the Pageant of the Masters folks to put the undead into “living pictures.” A seasonal takeoff on their summertime tableaux, their new “Pageant of the Monsters Haunted Night Gallery” is a walk-through attraction for families. It premieres Friday and features special effects and a crew of creepy characters ranging from Frankenstein to murderess Lizzy Borden in a variety of gruesome scenes. Groups will be led through a creepy house of wax, a cemetery, a “touch if you dare” laboratory and other haunts. Recommended for school-age children and up.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Oct. 31 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Irvine Bowl on the Festival of Arts grounds, 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. $5. (714) 494-1145.

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It’s “Midnight in the Barnyard.” Watch where you step.

Just kidding. Really, there’s little to be wary of in this haunted house at the Children’s Museum at La Habra. Geared to ages 2 to 8, this western-themed attraction features “ghost” cowboys spinning tales and plenty of faux spiders and bats. Costumes, especially western ones, are encouraged.

Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, 1:30 to 4 p.m. at the Children’s Museum at La Habra, 301 S. Euclid St. 75 cents for the haunted house only; gallery admission is $4. (310) 905-9793.

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THEME PARKS AND ATTRACTIONS

Slime-oozing mutants? Worm-infested pig people? Man, who don’t they invite to this party?

The organizers of Knott’s Berry Farm’s 24th Halloween Haunt think this after-hours ghoul fest is too intense for kids under 12, but bolder party-goers will be treated to 11 walk-through mazes and re-themed attractions, each fully stocked with 1,000 characters who are gruesome--and very much alive. There also are six macabre stage shows, including nightly “hangings” and the “Dead Monsters of Rock--Live!’ musical revue. Guests may not wear costumes.

Proceed at your own risk. And watch your back.

Today and Sunday and Wednesday through Nov. 2 from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. (this Friday and Saturday are sold out) at Knott’s Berry Farm, 8039 Beach Blvd., Buena Park. $29.95, advance; $33.95 at the gate. (714) 220-5200 or (714) 827-1776.

Younger thrill seekers at Knott’s can get their seasonal ya-yas out at Camp Spooky. A daytime event geared to ages 3 to 11, it features what park officials call “no-scare” entertainment--Halloween puppet shows, music and the like--in the park’s specially decorated Camp Snoopy.

Highlights include face painting, appearances by TV’s “Big Bad BeetleBorgs,” arts and crafts and trick-or-treat stations. Costume contests for kids under 12.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Knott’s Berry Farm. $19.95 to $29.95; free for ages 2 and under. (California residents pay $17.95 to $24.95; must show proof of residency.) (714) 220-5200 or (714) 827-1776.

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If you’d rather raise your sugar level than your blood pressure, consider “Mickey’s Halloween Treat” at Disneyland, where each night they’ll be doling out some 700,000 pieces of candy and Disney goodies.

New this year: a battle over Sleeping Beauty’s castle between the good fairies and the Disney bad girls, and schmooze-ops with Quasimodo and the “Hunchback” gang. Also look for artists carving really big pumpkins (try 700 pounds) on Main Street, live actors joining their robotic kin in the Pirates and Haunted Mansion rides, and a costume parade down Main Street.

Costumes “appropriate for a family audience” are encouraged (no masks), but can be worn only during Halloween Treat hours.

Today, Tuesday, Wednesday and Oct. 31 from 7 p.m. to midnight (this Friday is sold out) at Disneyland, 1313 Harbor Blvd., Anaheim. $20 to $25; all-day passes are $41 to $54. ($5-off coupons at participating McDonald’s restaurants.) (714) 781-4400.

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FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS

If Anaheim is the county’s Halloween Party Central, part of the reason is the city’s long-running Halloween parade at the Anaheim Fall Festival, which, according to a spokesman, typically attracts as many as 3,000 participants. The festival kicks off Saturday with a big pancake breakfast, followed by the parade at 11. There’s also music, dancing, a chili cook-off, special activities at the Anaheim Museum and a kiddie carnival.

Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at West Harbor Place (West Harbor Boulevard between Anaheim Boulevard and Clementine Street), Anaheim. Free admission and parking; there’s a charge for some activities and food. (714) 999-3456.

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Despite its name, Stanton’s 32nd Annual Halloween Howl is a tame family festival with games and contests, all free with admission. There’ll be food for sale.

Saturday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Stanton Cultural Arts and Recreation Center, 7800 Katella Ave. Admission: 50 cents--$1. (714) 379-9222, ext. 274.

Kids can hang with night-dwelling creatures at “Boo at the Zoo,” the Santa Ana Zoo’s Halloween event with spooky stories, trick-or-treat stations, costume contests and animal encounters. Costumes are encouraged for kids 12 and under.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Santa Ana Zoo, 1801 E. Chestnut Ave. $4-$5. (714) 953-8555.

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Let’s not leave Rover out in the cold on Halloween. The Newport Dunes resort will host a Top Dog Fashion Show Saturday, with prizes for the pet with the best Halloween costume, the best master/pet look-alike and (hubba hubba) best lingerie/pajamas. Proceeds to two local animal charities.

Saturday at 11 a.m. at Newport Dunes, 1131 Back Bay Drive, Newport Beach. Registration is $5-$10; spectator admission and parking are free. (714) 729-3863.

Anything--or anyone--is a potential ingredient in Wisteria’s Halloween stew in “The Witch’s Brew,” a children’s puppet show by Jim Gamble at the Launch Pad science center. Included is a post-show “lab” where kids can whip up fake blood and slime.

Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. at the Launch Pad in Crystal Court mall, 3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa. $5.75, includes admission to regular Launch Pad exhibits. (714) 546-2061.

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How’d you like this crew on your doorstep Halloween night? One thousand local kids will be the puppeteers for “Pumpkin Perfect,” an original musical being presented Saturday and Sunday at 5:30 p.m. at Sarsaparilla’s Pumpkin Village. There’s also storytelling, clowns, magic, and children’s games; food and merchandise will be sold, with partial proceeds going to Orangewood and Childhelp USA.

Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the corner of Aliso Creek Road and La Paz in Laguna Niguel. Free admission. (714) 768-5078.

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In Rancho Santa Margarita, a Halloween Boo Blast and Craft Fair offers kids costume parades, games, food and a Boy Scout haunted house.

Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Rancho Santa Margarita Lake Amphitheater, Antonio Parkway and Los Flores. Admission is free; game and other activity prices vary. (714) 589-4272.

Parachute Express headlines a Halloween program for kids and their families Sunday at Crystal Court mall. A benefit for CASA of Orange County and CAST, nonprofit groups dedicated to children’s rights, this also will include a pancake breakfast, Halloween craft activities and strolling entertainers.

Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Crystal Court, 3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa. Parachute Express performs at 9 and 10:30 a.m. $12 to $15; 2 and under are free. (714) 964-5865.

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THEATER (DEAD OR ALIVE)

The intimate stage of the Cabrillo Playhouse will have one less body cluttering it up when the San Clemente Community Theatre presents “The Premature Corpse.”

Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. through Nov. 16, with matinees at 2 on Nov. 3 and Nov. 20, at the Cabrillo Playhouse, 202 Avenida Cabrillo, San Clemente. $12. (714) 492-0465.

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Art meets life: “Ghost Train,” at the La Habra Depot Theatre, is an English comedy-mystery about a group of passengers stranded in a depot (and the one where they’re stranded is haunted). Recommended for family audiences, ages 10 through adult.

Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2:30 p.m. through Nov. 9 at the La Habra Depot Theatre, 311 S. Euclid St. $8 to $10. (310) 690-3321 or (310) 905-9625.

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FOR MATURE AUDIENCES

If the aforementioned pursuits seem too tame, here are some things targeted specifically to older teens and adults. Spokespersons give each shows an R rating, appropriate for ages 17 and up.

“Madame Guignol’s Macabre Theatre” is a collection of horror plays by local writers inspired by the Grand Guignol theater of the macabre in old Paris, according to a spokesman for the 40-seat Costa Mesa Studio Gallery, who said the five scripts contain no profanity or extreme sexual situations but definitely were selected for their shock value.

Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. through Nov. 2, and Oct. 31 at 8 p.m., at the Costa Mesa Studio Gallery, 1011 Brioso, Suite 106. $10. (714) 650-5481.

A spokeswoman at the Curtis Theatre balked at the idea of our including Rupert Holmes’ “steamy . . . suspenseful” comedy thriller “Accomplice” in a family column, and relented only when we assured her it would be rated R. Consider yourselves warned.

Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m, Sundays at 2 p.m. through Nov. 17 at the Curtis Theatre, 1 Civic Center Circle, Brea. $11 to $15. (714) 990-7722.

The 10-minute plays that make up “Seven Deadly Scenes” aren’t necessarily Halloween-themed but definitely are “a little on the gross side,” cautions Marilynn Bates, author of one of the scripts.

The seven pieces were chosen in part for their “macabre elements” and suspenseful nature, says Bates, whose “About Faces” deals with a plastic surgeon who disfigures one of his patients so he can take on the patient’s identity. The scripts will be presented readers-theater style, with minimal blocking.

Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Vanguard Theatre, 699-A S. State College Blvd., Fullerton. Free. (714) 526-4264.