Woodland Hills haunted house
The dead won’t rise until Mother Nature dims the lights, but otherwise, everything is good to go at a Woodland Hills house on Saltillo Street between Canoga Avenue and Rios Street. The yard of Matt Ford and Lori Merkle Ford’s home is the stage for a ghostly story told with hologram-type effects, computer-controlled moving figures, music and voice-over. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Viewers are invited to gather each evening through Halloween to watch the 11-minute presentation about the ghostly aftermath of 1930 actress’ marriage to a shady screenwriter whose previous wife and daughter died under suspicious circumstances. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
The lawn becomes a graveyard where who-knows-what is likely to appear. Homeowner Matt Ford is a lighting director who has worked on Academy Award shows, as well as “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Lori Merkle Ford is a lyric soprano and voice-over actress. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
The presentation repeats every 15 minutes from 7 p.m. to midnight. Admission is free, but donations are accepted to defray the cost of storing the sets, lighting and other rigging. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Secrets rise from the grave, but the chills on Saltillo Street are meant to be family-friendly. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Ooooh. Veddy skeddy. To keep fear at bay, just keep repeating: It’s not real; it’s all run by computer from the garage. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Lori Merkle Ford and Matt Ford will haunt the night through Halloween. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)