Benjamin Leatherman Haunting from p 19 Skeleton House AZ 23625 North 117th Drive, Sun City instagram.com/skeletonhouseaz Keep an eye out for a lineup of skeletons wearing cowboy hats standing along 117th Avenue just north of Deer Valley Parkway. It leads you to a series of quaint Wild West- style wooden facades outside of Craig David’s Sun City home, including a rustic- looking saloon, hotel, general store, sher- iff’s office, and gallows, all of which are dotted with even more bony figures. On the nights leading up to Halloween, the scene hosts a choreographed show set to music and starring animatronic skeletons. Hours and prices: On display nightly starting at dusk through Halloween, with the animated show taking place October 29 to 31. It’s free to check out. Phoenix Dead Rising 8611 North 30th Drive facebook.com/phoenixdeadrising Phoenix Dead Rising isn’t short on either atmosphere or decorations, as Nick Chryst features a legion of skeletons, zombies, ghouls, and other ghostly figures adorning the front yard and garage. Shrouded in stage fog and lit with an eerie glow, the The Skeleton House in Sun City features a western town populated with bony figures. display has gotten larger this year with the addition of numerous new props. Hours and prices: On display 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and 6 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, from October 8 through Halloween night. There’s no charge to view. Mount Mayhem 1740 East Purdue Avenue mountmayhemhaunt.com The theme of this year’s edition of Mount Mayhem — a small, family-run haunt in north Phoenix that’s been around since 2009 — is “Bayou: A Blood’s Tale.” It’s a mix of Southern gothic thrills, voodoo trickery, and swamp creatures. As is the norm for Mount Mayhem, the cast consists of teens, and the costumes and scenes will be DIY but the scares will be real. Hours and prices: Runs from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on October 27 to 31. Admission is free but donations are accepted. hallowsevolve 12905 North 147th Drive, Surprise instagram.com/hallowsevolve Halloween is a big deal for Krista and John Droski, who have decorated their two- story Surprise home annually since 2016 and pick a new focus each year. In 2020, it was a Ghostbusters display, while last year saw them do a Stranger Things theme. This year, they’ll pay homage to Steven Spielberg with re-creations of the film- maker’s most famous flicks. A Jurassic Park scene will be in the front yard with Indiana Jones taking over the porch and a Goonies tribute set up in the garage. Overhead, Elliot and E.T. will ride a bike in front of a giant moon hanging from the second-floor patio. “It’s totally a family-friendly thing with a couple of pop-out scares and a lot of attention to detail,” Krista Droski says. Hours and prices: On display nightly, Mount Mayhem One of the characters of Mount Mayhem, a family-run DIY haunt in north Phoenix. 20 dusk until 10 p.m., through Halloween. They’ll host trick-or-treating and other activities from 6 to 11 p.m. on October 28 to 31. Donations of nonperishable food items for Saint Mary’s Food Bank are encouraged. >> p 23 OCT 6TH–OCT 12TH, 2022 PHOENIX NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | NEWS | OPINION | FEEDBACK | CONTENTS | phoenixnewtimes.com
