15 Oct 5th–Oct 11th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | cONTeNTs | feeDBacK | OPiNiON | NeWs | feaTuRe | NighT+Day | culTuRe | film | cafe | music | M etro Phoenix gives Jack Skellington a run for his money during the Halloween season. Every October, nights in the Valley grow longer and colder as everyone makes like “The Nightmare Before Christmas” protagonist and gets into the mood to celebrate all things spooky and scary. And just like Jack, some folks make their own fun. That includes anyone dressing up their homes with decorations or visiting any of the haunted houses — both DIY or professional — that pop up locally during this time of year. All of these places are included in our annual list of the Phoenix area’s best Halloween attractions, home haunts and displays. Some are cute and kitschy. Others are frightening and freaky. All offer a place to celebrate your love of the Halloween season between now and Oct. 31. (Admittedly, they’re also a little corny at times, but such is the fun of holiday.) This is Halloween, everybody make a scene. Home haunts and Halloween displays Keely’s Light Show 1851 S. Brighton Circle, Mesa facebook.com/thekeeleyslightshow The Keely family covers their Mesa home with twinkling lights and offers synchro- nized audio-visual displays set to rock, pop and EDM anthems like Marilyn Manson’s “This Is Halloween” and Onderkoffer’s “It.” A sinister, smoke-breathing dragon and a 12-foot-tall inferno pumpkin skeleton help complete the spooky scene. Hours and prices: Nightly, 6:30 to 11 p.m., Oct. 7 to 31. Free. Morgan Manor 1100 E. Osage Ave., Apache Junction facebook.com/morganmanoraz Bryan and Batrice Morgan prefer keeping things quaint and eerie with their yard display without getting too frightening. “We try to be spooky, but not scary, and intriguing, but not gory,” Bryan says. What it lacks in gut-punching thrills it makes up for in charm. There’s a graveyard with dozens of skeletons, a pumpkin patch and various animatronics. Hours and prices: On display nightly until 10 p.m. until Oct. 31. Free. Darkwater Bayou 24211 N. 24th Place You won’t encounter any gators or snakes populating this particular bayou. Instead, the area outside this North Phoenix home is a fantastical sort of place where skeleton bartenders, talking man-eating plants, swamp witches, animatronic pirates and fearsome-looking dragons mix in a wild, colorful scene. Sounds a little chaotic? Sure, but it’s entertaining nonetheless. Hours and prices: Nightly start- ing at dusk from Oct. 18 to 31 . Free. Casa de Muerte 1721 W. Villa Maria Drive There’s no better time to celebrate horror flicks than Halloween. Kevin and Nicole Quenga are getting into the spooky spirit of the season by adorning their yard with slasher film villains like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees, as well as scenes from “Jeepers Creepers” and “The Exorcist.” They’ll even have a 12-foot-tall Freddy Krueger. Hours and prices: The free display operates nightly at dusk from Oct. 14 to 31. Face Your Fears on 55th 8420 N. 55th Ave., Glendale facebook.com/faceyourfearson55th If close encounters with werewolves, witches, creepy clowns or even creepier dolls get your adrenaline pumping, you’ll want to steel yourself before strolling through this haunted house on Halloween night. (Think of it as shock therapy for dealing with your fears.) Prefer a less emotionally taxing experience? A colorful and expansive array of characters are in the front yard for most of October. Hours and prices: The yard dis- play can be viewed nightly, 5 to 10 p.m., until Oct. 24. The haunted house runs 5 to 10 p.m. on Oct. 31. Free. Hallowsevolve 12905 N. 147th Drive, Surprise instagram.com/hallowsevolve Each year, crafty couple Krista and John Droski pick a different theme for their impressive Halloween display. For 2023, they’re doing “Sea Legends of Old” and decorating their two-story residence with shipwrecks, sirens, recreations of Davy Jones’s locker and a waterfall and Fountain of Youth. Sounds nautical but nice. Hours and prices: Nightly, dusk to 10 p.m. until Oct. 31. No price listed. Phoenix Dead Rising 8611 N. 30th Drive facebook.com/phoenixdeadrising A legion of decorations — including hordes of skeletons, a forest of tombstones and various other ghostly figures — make for an ominous tableau adorning Nick Chryst’s front yard every Halloween. A thick blanket of stage fog and the glow of purple and green lights add to the eerie atmosphere. Hours and prices: On display, 6 to 10:30 p.m., Oct. 20 to 21 and 27 to 31; 6 to 10 p.m., Oct. 23 to 26. Free, but donations are accepted. Skeleton House AZ 23625 N. 117th Drive, Sun City instagram.com/skeletonhouseaz No bones about it: Sun City’s Skeleton House is one of the Valley’s most original Halloween displays. It consists of a parade of skeletons in cowboy hats arranged along 117th Avenue north of Pinnacle Peak Road, which lead to Wild West-themed wooden buildings — including a hotel, saloon and sheriff’s office — in front of Craig David’s home with even more skeletons. It’s a humerus sight. Hours and prices: On display from dusk until dawn, Fridays and Saturdays from Oct. 21 to 31. Free. Terror Nights 511 E. La Donna Drive, Tempe facebook.com/terrornightsaz For 51 weeks each year, the Stoudt resi- dence is an ordinary home in a sleepy Tempe neighborhood. In the evenings leading up to Halloween, it becomes a fortress of fright occupied by ghoulish beings, possessed dolls and freakish fiends. Inside, visitors will encounter sinister scenes throughout the house, like the “Morgue Room” and “Maniac’s Revenge,” as well as surprises around every corner. You might have to wait a bit to be scared, as there’s typically a line. Hours and prices: Runs 7 to 10 p.m., Oct. 27, 28 and 30. Free, but donations benefitting Tempe Community Action Agency are appreciated. Mount Mayhem 1740 E. Purdue Ave. mountmayhemhaunt.com Don’t let the young ages of Mount Mayhem’s teenage cast fool you: They’re hell- bent on scaring patrons of the small, neighborhood- run haunt. They’ve done so every Halloween since 2009 with a different theme each time. This year, the theme is “Psykosis,” which means visitors can expect hallucinations, mind-tricks and psych-outs while being stalked throughout the haunt. Remember, it’s not paranoia if they’re out to get you. Hours and prices: Nightly, 7 to 9:30 p.m., Oct. 27 to 31. Free, but do- nations are accepted. Eddie Shriner’s home haunt 2427 W. Vista Ave. Eddie Shriner’s collection of life-sized crea- tures and frightening characters numbers into the hundreds — and it only keeps growing. He buys more each year and arranges them either in front of his house or along a winding path into the backyard, allowing visitors to endure a gauntlet of terror. There are horror film icons and fiendish witches. A “pumpkin alley” and a squad of scarecrows. And more killer clowns than your therapist cares to know about. Much of Shriner’s collection is animatronic. Almost everything is terrifying. Hours and prices: Runs 7 to 9 p.m., Sundays to Thursdays; 7 to 10, Fri- days and Saturdays through Oct. 26 and 6 to 10 p.m., Oct. 27 to 31. Free. Hellbilly Holler Halloween Haunt 14601 N. 40th Way hellbillyholleraz.com This homespun haunt in North Phoenix is like a moonshine-drenched fever dream mixing southern-fried horrific fun, canni- balism and hillbilly shtick with grisly bits of “Deliverance” and “Motel Hell” baked into its inbred DNA. Local artist Michaela Nastasia’s yard becomes a backwoods cabin where banjos are plucked and freakish mutants frolic . There are new characters this year, including bile-puking conjoined twins and the Elephant Man. Don’t linger too long or you might become dinner. Hours and prices: On display nightly, 7 to 9:30 p.m., Sundays to Thursdays; 7 to 11 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from Oct. 13 to 28 and nightly, 7 to 11 p.m. from Oct 28 to 31. No price listed. The House of Haunts 8325 E. Lincoln Drive, Scottsdale facebook.com/houseofhauntsarizona Scottsdale’s Steve Birkett and his children are behind one of the most elaborate and stunning DIY haunted houses in the Valley. It’s offered the Valley thrills and chills for decades with its special effects, creepy atmosphere and mind-bending scenes. There’s a room based on “The Shining,” an elaborate recreation of the Lost Dutchman Mine, a laser-filled swamp and rooms that screw with people’s perceptions. According to Steve’s daughter, Caitlyn Birkett, they’ve created additional areas this year, proving you can teach old haunts new tricks. Hours and prices: Open nightly, 6:45 to 10 p.m., from Oct. 27 to 31. A $5 donation is requested. AZ Beetlehouse 1423 E. Earll Drive instagram.com/azbeetlehouse Have you been to the Beetlehouse yet? Created by Karen Altamirano and Matthew Wiley outside their CenPho home, it’s a must-see for Halloween lovers and fans of “Beetlejuice.” It features mockups of several scenes from the flick, including Dante’s Inferno Room, the waiting room for the recently deceased and Beetlejuice’s grave. There’s also a giant sandworm and mannequin Each room inside Sanctum of Horror unravels the tale about a twisted little girl with a violent past. (Photo by Jacob Tyler Dunn) >> p 16
