Stoney Pointe Halloween Haunt: 2019 Review
Stoney Pointe Halloween Haunt, Santa Clarita, CA
It seems that the Santa Clarita Valley has exploded into a hotbed of home haunts recently. Once upon a time, this area was known only for such famous haunts as Beware the Dark Realm, Coffinwood Cemetery, and Pumkin Jack’s Haunted House. But lately, a spree of new home haunts and yard displays have popped up. We visited two of these new haunts last year in Shiver Haunt and Club Fear, and this year, it seems like even more home haunts are announcing their presence!
One of the several, very detailed rooms in Stoney Pointe.
Our latest example is Stoney Pointe Halloween Haunt, a first year attraction located just a few minutes away from Shiver. This family-friendly attraction is the brainchild of Mark Pelletier, a life-long horror enthusiast who got an early taste of the genre by playing the role (along with his twin brother, Eric) of Jimmy in the 1986 horror comedy movie, House. That experience gave him an enjoyment of spooky things that he carries to this day, and Stoney Pointe Halloween Haunt is his iteration of a haunt that he can participate in with his family.
As an easter egg, sometimes, House, the movie that Mark Pelletier was in as a kid, will be playing on the television in this maze.
The entirety of this walk-through attraction is located in the backyard patio of Mark’s Santa Clarita home, within a very compact footprint that can’t measure more than 20ft x 20ft, making it even smaller than Midsummer Scream’s Hall of Shadows’ mini-haunts! That makes this the first-ever “patio haunt” that we have ever experienced.
However, despite its dimuniative square footage, this intimate maze packs a whole lot of theming and decoration into its cozy layout. Guests enter two at a time max., and a group can only enter once the previous group exits, due to a constriction at the entry point. There is a snaking path that feature a low ceiling and tight passageways, with several nooks where guests can stop and admire the scenery. The theming consists of a mix of Halloween furnishings and dynamic moving effects similar to Halloween props that might be found at a Target or Michaels store. While most of the items in Stoney Pointe are certainly store-bought, the way they’re layered together is actually very rich and atmospheric. There is, quite simply put, a thick density of furnishings that really enhance the maze ambiance. Creepy dolls, body and finger parts, spellbooks, candles, skulls, lamps, and more… they all add to the fun vibe of this maze. It’s almost as though one is strolling through a decorated living room that has been unfolded. And it’s pretty nice!
One of Mark’s daughters plays an eerie bride in one of the last rooms.
Nor is this maze completely reliant on props and static figures. Mark and his daughters are both featured in the maze, while a third girl also occupies a position. Other than Mark, none of them really try to scare people. They just sit there and look creepy, which is perfectly fine, because Stoney Pointe is clearly meant to appeal to all ages and allow guests to bring young children through. Given the abundance of scary and more teenager/adult-oriented haunted house attractions out there—including from most home haunts—this more inclusive and softer scare attraction is an asset in the home haunt catalog.
The yard display outside Stoney Pointe Halloween Haunt.
In addition to a pretty adorable haunt, Stoney Pointe Halloween Haunt also has a nice carnival-themed yard display, featuring a scary merry-go-round and a series of gravestones and even some creatures trying to claw their way out of their graves. Along with a house bathed in blue and strung with orange Halloween lights, Stoney Pointe presents an excellent debut effort. It’s emphasis on quality over quantity and surprisingly well done execution for its first year status and slight size make it well worth stopping by on a Santa Clarita haunt tour. Make it part of yours this weekend!
Stoney Pointe Halloween Haunt is located on 23227 Barnacle Ln, Santa Clarita, CA 91355 and runs this Friday and Saturday and Halloween night. This haunt has actually been running since the beginning of the month, so keep that in mind if you can’t make it this year and want to check it out next year! Parking might be a bit tough in this community, though we had no problem when we stopped by last Friday.
Architect. Photographer. Disney nerd. Haunt enthusiast. Travel bugged. Concert fiend. Asian.
