Get an Early Start to Halloween in LA

If there’s one thing that can be said about Los Angeles, it’s that this city loves Halloween. There is no shortage of events to take locals and visitors through the weeks leading up to the fall holiday, from family-friendly trick-or-treating to terrifying haunts for teens and adults. In between, there are horror movie screenings, themed garden strolls, spirited cocktails and spooky puppets.

The party has already started, so get your tickets as soon as possible, since many events will sell out.

Can you survive Five Nights at Freddy's? You’re about to be hunted by deadly animatronics Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy as you flee through creepy, abandoned hallways at Halloween Horror Nights, opening at Universal Studios Hollywood on Thursday, September 4 and running on select nights through Sunday, November 2.

Along with the iconic Terror Tram, guests will experience eight all-new haunted houses, including Five Nights at Freddy's, The Terrifier, Fallout, Jason Universe, Horrors of the Wyatt Sicks, Poltergeist, Scarecrow featuring music by Slash, and Monstruos 3: The Ghosts of Latin America.

Tickets are on sale for HHN's entire run, with options like General Admission, Universal Express and the premium R.I.P. Tour.

Bob Baker Marionette Theater presents the Hallowe’en Spooktacular, an hour-long, family-friendly boo-sical revue featuring more than one hundred spirited puppets rallying to regale you with silly things on strings. With new thrills and curious creations, from Frankenstein’s monster’s toe-tapping inception to an out-of-this-world Venutian dreamscape, Hallowe’en Spooktacular beckons you to the place where imagination … lurks!

This year, the Spooktacular now includes a Día de los Muertos sequence with a celebratory scene to pay tribute to the holiday and honor our community.

Bob Baker is offering a sensory-friendly version of the Hallowe’en Spooktacular at 10:30am on Saturday, October 11 for guests who would prefer a show environment with modifications for reduced sensory aspects and additional accommodations.

Tickets are now on sale for the show’s run from September 6 through November 9. Costumes are strongly encouraged - costume parades will be held at every Spooktacular performance beginning in October. You might even be asked to join the show!

Fright Fest takes over the "Thrill Capital of the World" on select nights from September 19 to November 2! Signature Haunted Mazes include The Conjuring Universe, SAW: Legacy of Terror, Trick 'r Treat, Carnage and Truth or Dare. NOTE: Haunted Mazes are not included with admission and require purchase of a Haunted Attractions Pass.

Scare Zones throughout the park include City Under Siege (DC Universe), Underworlds of Oz (Screampunk District), Thunderbolt Alley (The Underground), CarnivHELL (Bugs Bunny World) and Devil's Triangle at the Park Entrance. Each night begins with the Unleashed opening ceremony, and don't miss queens of the undead competing in a monster song and dance battle hosted by Margo Rita.

Looking for something a little more kid-friendly? The daytime Tricks and Treats (formerly Kids Boo Fest) is an all-new fall festival featuring family-friendly activities, Trick-or-Treat Trail, live performances and, of course, world-class rides.

The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride once again transforms the Old Zoo at Griffith Park into Midnight Falls, ruled by the Witch of the Woods and her army of spirited minions.

New for this year is Elvira’s Trick or Treat Mayhem! Hidden behind the facade of her shadowy new home in Midnight Falls, this haunted maze brims with bizarre surprises and ghoulish goodies, infused with the Mistress of the Dark’s signature glamour and spine-tingling mischief.

Halloween icon Janelle Monáe returns with the Monáe Manor, where it’s Halloween every night and things aren’t quite what they seem - where the walls talk and the music blares. You may have more than one ghostly encounter at this twisted soiree and it may even be from Monáe.

Along with the Haunted Hayride itself, attractions include Hellbilly Halloween, hidden deep in the backwoods of Midnight Falls; Madame Aurora's Seance Theatre, Mini Escape Games, Zombie Splat GellyBall, Midnight Falls Axe Throwing and the Monte Revolta Show.

Dark Harbor returns to haunt The Queen Mary this Halloween season! The legendary ship and its surrounding harbor will be transformed into a massive Halloween festival featuring haunted mazes like Voodoo: The Queen's Curse, Feast: The Final Cut, Breakout: Maximum Security, Lullaby, Infirmary and Big Top Terror. Haunted Harbor features hundreds of monsters, immersive attractions, live entertainment, VIP experiences, themed bars and lounges, carnival rides, festive eats and treats, instagrammable moments and more.

The Philosophical Research Society kicks off the Halloween season with A Taste of Vampire Movies Around the World on Wednesday, October 1. During this two-hour presentation, author Nathaniel Thompson (The FrightFest Guide to Vampire Movies) will trace the evolution of the vampire in film and television.

On Halloween Eve, PRS presents a special screening of the 1922 silent horror classic Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, featuring a live soundtrack performed by Circuit des Yeux.

Tickets for all events are on sale at the PRS Eventbrite page.

Cinespia hosts classic films and modern favorites at historic locations across LA. Its most popular events take place at the famed Hollywood Forever Cemetery. The outdoor screenings take place on the Fairbanks Lawn, named for the adjacent crypt housing both Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. and Jr. Guests picnic under the stars and watch films digitally projected against the wall of the Cathedral Mausoleum, which houses the crypt of Rudolph Valentino among many others. Upcoming outdoor screenings include Coraline on October 12; and Trick 'r Treat on October 19, featuring classic concessions, a DJ dance party and free photo booth.

Upcoming screenings include The Rocky Horror Picture Show 50th Anniversary on October 4, The Craft (Oct. 11), Paranorman (Oct. 18) and the original A Nightmare on Elm Street on October 25. Gates at 5:30pm, movie at 7:15pm with DJs, free photo booth and bar & grill. Tickets are on sale at the Cinespia website.

The Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy brings four of his works to macabre life: "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Raven," "The Masque of the Red Death" and "The Black Cat." Taking place at the Grand Annex Music Hall in San Pedro, the 90-minute immersive experience includes four cocktails inspired by the stories: Pale Blue Eye, Cocktail of Red Death, Edgar's Twisted Brandy Milk Punch and The Nevermore. Tickets at Fever.

Every October, Descanso Gardens invites the whole family to enjoy Carved, featuring hundreds of carved pumpkins lining the Camellia Forest and Oak Grove. The Descanso Railroad will be specially lit for Carved, and new ghosts will join the family of wood spirits carved from five enormous logs by Chainsaw Jenna. Be amazed by luminous jack-o’-lanterns, hand-carved giant pumpkins and “Rhizome” installation by Tom and Lien Dekyvere.

Timed entry tickets to Carved are on sale at the Descanso Gardens website.