Beware the Dark Realm: 2019 Review
Beware the Dark Realm, Santa Clarita, CA
There are home haunts, and then, there are epic home haunts. Not just a homemade Halloween maze. Not even a homemade Halloween maze done in the style of professional haunts, with framed walls and theatrical lighting and diverse furnishings. Not even a homemade Halloween maze constructed the way professionals do it, with a good amount of theming and a standard storyline told through the maze progression. No, I'm talking about home haunts that are immersive enough to challenge the ambiance created in theme parks, with special effects and audio soundscapes that plunge guests into a story, and a well established concept that is expertly narrated through incredible set design--plus an army of scareactors tucked around every corner, waiting to relentless scare guests all the way through the maze. These are haunts that are so good, they're featured in their own documentary, entitled Epic Home Haunts.
Beware the Dark Realm may look like a monotone castle from the outside, but inside, there are sumputous sets and great lighting installed.
We've covered a couple of these types before. Rotten Apple 907 and Boot Hill have been annual favorites. Both combine detailed theming, incredibly immersive atmosphere, a gripping audio experience, fantastic and dramatic lighting, and memorable scareactors to create haunt experiences that are not to be forgotten. But for the first time last year, we included a third icon: Beware the Dark Realm, a sprawling haunted house walkthrough up in Santa Clarita with a medieval theme and an absolutely monumental undertaking. And epic it truly is! One of the longest home haunts out there, this lengthy jaunt through the terror of the Middle Ages takes guests through an eerie village, a witch's hovel, under a full fledged animatronic dragon, into the dark dungeon recesses of a castle, and past a torrid collection of ghouls and prisoners and fiends, all eager to pray on the squeamish and screamish.
“Are ye friend or foe?”
This looks like a foe.
Although there have been adjustments here and there, and little enhancements that subtly plus the atmosphere, the sequence of Beware the Dark Realm remains largely the same as last year. So we'll direct you to our description from 2018 if you're curious about the flow. What I really want to discuss in this year's review is how amazing the talent of this maze was.
Firstly, Beware the Dark Realm enjoys a priceless advantage that most other haunts would kill to have: bountiful scareactors. On the night that we passed through, owner, Scott Sivley had about 26 cast members playing various roles inside the maze as well as on the street and atmospheric talent. The weekend before, on opening night, that number was upwards of 30! Most home haunts would struggle to get half or a third of that, but Beware the Dark Realm has been such an institution in the area that it's become a recognized pastime, with family and friends and even people who have gone through as guests eager to lend assistance and be part of this monumental production.
Monsters in the Dark Realm can come from any angle…
…and sometimes at many angles—at once!
But an overload of actors and no penchant for how to effectively scare would not make this an epic home haunt. Fortunately, Sivley and his crew run a tight and very professional ship. Most of the actors are veterans of the haunt, while relative newcomers receive coaching and feedback from the experienced members. There is a clear schedule delivered to each member on when to arrive, when breaks occur, and where places are. Similar to the backstage setting at a professional haunt like Knott's Scary Farm, there is a wardrobe area and make-up booth, where Ken Nolls applies the face paint and prosthetics that really enhance each monster that ultimately lurks within the Dark Realm. Scott also generously provides catering to his cast out of his own pocket, so that they don't have to worry about arranging their own food before scaring or working on an empty stomach.
Maybe it's that nutrition that explains why everyone comes with an abundance of energy, and the net result is a truly terrifying, relentless hard scare event that leaves guests scurrying in panic and fear and often sprinting out of the castle doors and down the street, completely engulfed in the emotional high that Beware the Dark Realm renders.
The witch is always looking for a great way to serve children.
The high number of monsters means that there are plenty of double team scares, sometimes in tandem and sometimes delayed, not to mention a variety of charismatic creatures adept in improv. In some cases, there are even comedic moments, such as the werewolf prisoner constantly proclaiming his hunger for women--but only women--he didn't want to devour men, just the females. Sure, it's an a momentary absurd departure from the serious and intense tone of the maze, but it offers a beat to pause and reset, before diving back into the bevvy of startle scares and jump scares that abound throughout the maze.
This werewolf was howlin’ hilarious during our trips through.
Ultimately, Beware the Dark Realm parrots the relentless pace of another haunt that we've fallen even more in love with this year, Reign of Terror. Just like the classic Thousand Oaks haunt, Reign of Terror is transportive in its theming, architecture, and furnishings. It has a plethora of talent, all clicking on the same cylinders, with expert scare timing for maximum frights. Dark and haunting, both may not appear to be slick and polished, but they are beautiful in their often gritty texture, showing plenty of detail to really fulfill the illusion.
Moments of brief brightness are interspersed with darker segments to alternate tension and relief.
The detailing is breath-taking in Beware the Dark Realm.
This year also marks another season of partnership between Beware the Dark Realm and Child & Family Center, for whom the haunt is fundraising this year. This community organization assists families--especially those in marginalized segments--to navigate issues of mental health, substance use, and domestic violence. If one was to ask Scott, this charitable aspect is the biggest accomplishment of the haunt. Being able to raise money for such a great cause is part of what makes many home haunts so great, and it's wonderful to see this partnership continuing for another year.
Beware the Dark Realm has partnered up with Child & Family Center once again to raise money for this great Santa Clarita foundation.
Beware the Dark Realm is located on 28621 Sugar Pine Way, Santa Clarita, CA 91390 and concludes its 2019 run tonight, opening from 7:00 to 10:00pm. The past few years, this haunt has been one of the few home haunts to open the third weekend before Halloween, utilizing a Saturday as a test run before running Fridays and Saturdays the final and second to last weekends of October. Keep that in mind for next year (though operating days may be slightly adjusted due to Halloween night falling on a Saturday).
As for that final epic home haunt? Alas, one day, we'll make it to Restless Souls Manor. Just not yet.
Architect. Photographer. Disney nerd. Haunt enthusiast. Travel bugged. Concert fiend. Asian.
