Spooky Hollows: 2020 Review
Spooky Hollows, Van Nuys, CA
We are upon our final week until Halloween, and though this year has been anything but normal, this week, we’ll be providing our normal rush of Halloween updates to try to get as much word out for as many awesome home haunts as possible before the big, spooky holiday. Today, we’re heading to Van Nuys to visit Spooky Hollows, a veteran home haunt that we’ve covered at Midsummer Scream, seen at Scare L.A. before that, and visited the past few years.
Although Spooky Hollows has been a walk-through maze for many years, last year saw it convert to a yard display. This year, that yard display has remained. This is partially due to the COVID-19 concerns, but there’s actually another reason Spooky Hollows isn’t a maze this year: it’s also a haunted show. Yes, this year, creator John Cassella decided to take on the complex task of creating a House at Haunted Hill-style production to tell the origin story of the maze’s mythical and slightly tongue-in-cheek antagonist, Mr. Sticky.
Mr. Sticky was actually created as a joke at Spooky Hollows several years ago, when John’s wife, Tracy, spray-painted a vague humanoid form that looked more like a long-limbed humanoid extraterrestrial than anything else. But friends started calling him Mr. Sticky, and a whole satirical backstory and following was developed, and he was incorporated more formally into the maze the following year, with guests coming face to face with this amorphous and dripping tarred creature in the dark and dingy sewers behind the premises before barely escaping!
Spooky Hollows is split into two halves of one display this year. One showcases the wet marshes from the nearby woods.
Guests arriving at Spooky Hollows this year will see a similar dark, moody, dimly lit ambiance that’s similar to last year (but even dimmer), but there are a few tweaks. Gone are the cartoonish jack-o-lanterns and bright lasers that cast illumination. Instead, there are dusty gravestones and skeletons seemingly rising out of the ground on one side. On the other, a swampy scene has been constructed, with a skeletal host sitting on a chai next to a little marsh-side shack. These two sides form the two halves of the show, with guests starting at the graveyard to the right and shifting to the bogs on the left.
The show itself features some fantastic, sinister voicework by one of Tracy Cassella’s voice actor friends, and it starts with how Mr. Sticky first came into the collective consciousness. He seemed more shadow and legend initially, until a series of unexplained disappearances in the nearby woods and watershed started conjuring up stories of an indescribable creature who might be responsible. Somehow, a crazed cult sprung up, devoted to this mythical monster, determined to provide it with whatever it needed.
The second half shifts to Mr. Sticky in modern day, and an explanation of what Mr. Sticky really entails. The revelation is far beyond a singular entity, and the hyperbole in which it’s applied provides an entertaining and almost absurdist treatment that parallels the real life self-satirical inspiration. The show closes with a bold harkening to all observers to go forth and do the bidding of Mr. Sticky. All hail Mr. Sticky, for sticky be he, and sticky be with all.
The other is a cemetery scene with some macabre skeletons and a few props that play a part in the show.
Technology-wise, it’s a tremendous amount of programming, testing, tweaking, and experimenting to get the sound design, motion cues, and audio/visual synchronization to all occur. There were apparently a few hiccups on Friday night when I went, but it would have been hard for me to identify them had they not been pointed out, since they mostly involved effects that hadn’t been implemented yet. Nevertheless, the show itself was thoroughly enjoyable—a nod to fans who have enjoyed Spooky Hollows for at least the past few years while providing an introduction to first-time visitors to fill them in on the story. The ambiance of the yard display mixed with the somewhat suspenseful nature of the show offers a bit of creep and a bit of grotetque at the same time. And yet, there is always a sense of fun underlying everything because of the inherent absurdity of the Mr. Sticky character (or at least the name for such a potentially terrifying creation).
Spooky Hollows has provided a terrific show that adds a bit of extra dynamic to the idea of a traditional haunted yard display. Those who may come not knowing about a show will be pleasantly surprised by the unexpected round of storytelling. Those who come for the show will appreciate the narrative journey it takes, and the immersive environment that the Cassella residence plunges the audience into. It’s a wonderful and fitting addition to the Spooky Hollows timeline!
The tone of Spooky Hollows is more shadowy and dark this year, to parallel the aesthetic of Mr. Sticky.
Spooky Hollows is located at 16418 Gilmore St, Van Nuys, CA 91406 and continues its run this Friday through Sunday, from 7:00 - 10:00pm. Shows run every 15 minutes. Please be sure to wear a mask if you visit, and stay socially distanced from other groups to the greatest extent possible. Due to limited sidewalk viewing space, guests may have to wait for ensuing shows.
Architect. Photographer. Disney nerd. Haunt enthusiast. Travel bugged. Concert fiend. Asian.
