The Haunted Rose presents The Colour Out of Space: 2020 Review

The Haunted Rose, Whittier, CA

I’ve been in love with The Haunted Rose ever since I first saw its mini-haunt at Midsummer Scream’s Hall of Shadows in 2017 and then toured its full home haunt later that fall. The H.P. Lovecraft passion that creator Ryan Banfield brought to his exquisitely themed, highly atmospheric, incredibly detailed, and seriously photogenic maze was an instant allure, and this home haunt quickly rocketed up my list of favorite haunts. Though The Haunted Rose was sadly dark in 2018, it reappeared for a “last minute” “mini-haunt” at Milmur Manor last year, featuring a retelling of Lovecraft’s short story, “The Statement of Randolph Carter.” Once again, the production value was stellar, with a much longer-than-expected maze, fantastic theming, great actors and scares, and an overall exhilarating experience.

This year’s Coronavirus pandemic has put mazes on hold for the vast majority of haunters—professional and amateur—and most have pivoted to yard displays. A few, though, have been more ambitious and incorporated haunted shows or show elements into their haunts—see The Pirates Cave, Rotten Apple 907, and Spooky Hollows. Well, add The Haunted Rose to the mix. Over the past several months, Ryan and his team have been diligently working on a bringing to life one of H.P. Lovecraft’s most popular short stories, and last night marked the start of an all-too-brief two-night run for The Haunted Rose’s newest creation.

The beautiful front yard cemetery display of the Haunted Rose is worth seeing just for this alone.

“The Colour Out of Space” is a science fiction horror piece that imagines an alien life form that is truly unimaginable and unlike anything popularly portrayed in other writings and productions. At the time, Lovecraft was frustrated with aliens shown as some form of humanoid or even animal-like creatures, and he wanted to pen a tale about an extraterrestrial force in a manner that had not been seen before. He drew inspiration from scientific publications at the time detailing parts of the color spectrum outside of human perception, and from that, he derived the concept of an alien being that was perceived as nothing more than light and particles, since its natural form could not truly be understood by human beings. Hence: “The Colour Out of Space” literally—a color coming from outer space!

I arrived last night at mid-evening to find a hearse show already in progress at the corner of Groveland Avenue and Candlelight Drive. A good half a dozen hearses were lined up and parked, some with open displays, all in a morbidly fun Halloween scene. There were plenty of people milling about just admiring the fine vehicles and their spooky inhabitants. A couple of skeletal cheerleaders were inside one. Another held a bloody corpse on a gurney. Still another featured a spilled coffin with a skeleton trying to escape. There was even a cheeky display with a mannequin, a possessed mom, a casket, and a sign that said “OBGYN.” Across the street, a shaved ice truck had also been set up for guests looking to indulge in a sweet refreshment.

It was a fun display and a great showcase of beautiful vehicles and interesting Halloween scenes, but it was a one-evening event only.

Around the Banfield residence, facing Groveland, a beautiful graveyard and mausoleum display had also been set up. Spooky jack-o-lanterns lined the verdant yard, bathed in eerie blues and purples. An open coffin revealed a resting skeleton in the back, and set pieces from last year’s “Carter’s Crypt” production were clearly recognizable for returning guests. Intricate tombstones lined the space—some even towering to human-sized scale. It all served to capture a ominous yet captivating view.

The Haunted Rose’s display and show, however, run two nights—last night and tonight.

The props, lighting, and sets are all so gorgeous.

On the Candlelight side of the property, there was also a large animatronic (but not operational on this night) spider—a callback to the 2017 “Maritime Horror” maze. A new addition (or at least new to me), an animatronic talking gravedigger (incidentally, the same as the dog napper figure in the Holiday Fantasies Come to Life display in Burbank this year) anchored the corner of the front yard, muttering thoughts about burying bodies and daily job tribulations and such.

If the gorgeous Halloween scene was the only thing featured at The Haunted Rose, it would already be well worth a visit. The lighting, audio ambiance, meticulous detail, incorporation of natural landscaping, and highly realistic props and decorations bring professional level quality to a residential location—no surprise, though, since Ryan is a seasoned haunter and theatrical production designer with past working experience with Knott’s and Disney. But there’s also the matter of the show itself, which serves as the main attraction for this year’s Haunted Rose.

A new animatronic adds a bit of creep to the environment.

The entrance to the show is located on the Candlelight Drive side, where a long storefront showing oddities and curios can be seen. This is Caligari’s Cabinet, and Caligari himself is on hand to act as a preshow emcee, setting the stage of the show for guests.

The audience has been transported to the fictional town of Arkham, Massachusetts, a place on the outskirts of development, bordering what was frontier land in the New England state. Caligari, a collector of strange mementos and collectibles, has heard of a recent event—a meteorite that has crashed into weathered land nearby and has sparked strange stories of bizarre occurences and even rumors of happenings unnatural. There are even reports that the local well water has been contaminated by some unknown source, though what that could possibly be is just a guess.

After the brief spiel, visitors are beckoned to continue around the corner, to the second viewing area that serves as the theater for the show. But before they go, they would be well served to take in the details of the set in front of them. Plenty of Easter eggs and tidbits to H.P. Lovecraft can bee seen on the walls and through the windows of the display. There’s also a friendly (maybe not that friendly) mutated rat animatronic that snarls with fierce, glowing red eyes as guests pass—a fun pull back to haunt mode.

Caligari ushers guests into the story, set in 1940 Massachusetts.

The actual haunted show takes place on the Groveland Avenue side and features a combination of live action, voice-over narration, and a series of synchronized theatrical lighting effects. Those who are familiar with Lovecraft’s short story will find this rendition hits the same major beats.

(Warning: spoilers for the show lie ahead.)

Nice ratty… nice rodent there… and some goodies related to Lovecraft plastered along the preshow storefront.

The narrator, a surveyor from Boston, has come to the “blasted heath” to take information on the local town and gather findings for a proposed future development. The exploration is complicated by a recent event involving a crashed meteorite and its suspect impact some settlers around the town.

The narrator interviews local, Ammi Pierce, who recounts recent interactions with a farmer named Nahum Gardner, who lived with his family on the land. Apparently, when the meteoroid struck the homestead, it produced stunning and alien vegetation (cleverly integrated in the form of the Banfields’ beautiful front yard garden of succulents and desert plants), but the plants were inedible. The meteorite itself oozes and leaves behind globules of color and substance that cannot be explained. It’s almost as though the rock itself is alive, though that doesn’t make any sense.

Ammi Pierce and Nahum Gardner investigate the Gardner’s farmland, which has seemingly become cursed.

Over time, though odd and increasingly terrifying things begin to happen to Gardner’s family. His wife takes ill with a mysterious ailment, and his children soon follow. The local well water, which they use to grow their crops and have as a drinking source, might be connected, though no one is sure how. The only clue is a strange odor.

The meteorite itself is actually a part of the lavish set.

As the account progresses, the well itself takes on a life of its own, emitting a blast of fog and spray. Suddenly, the atmosphere triggers into a kaleidoscopic charge of color and light, blinding Pierce and Gardner, who have come to investigate the well. Without warning, at the window to Gardner’s cabin, a woman appears, mutated and gnarled, grimacing in horrific pain, with tentacles growing out of her! The ghastly scene and ensuring continuation of the Colour escaping in volatile gas prompts Pierce to flee, though Gardner appears to flail in agony, showing signs of whatever infection or infestation has seemingly claimed his family.

After taking in the unbelievable events that have been related to him, the narrator concludes that whatever forces or form was brought by the meteor most certainly contaminated the local well water at Arkham, and it has resulted in hideous happenings for some of the local residents—many who end up fleeing for good reason. Whatever the contaminant is, some residue of it seem to still inhabit the well, and the show ends with a stern warning to anyone who visits Arkham: don’t drink the well water.

The terrifying fate of Nahum Gardner’s wife.

(End of spoilers.)

“The Colour Out of Space” only lasts not more than five minute and loops every ten to fifteen minutes, based on the number of guests waiting. The theatrical production is a brilliant and marvelous retelling of the popular Lovecraft story and a perfect, family-friendly mix of horror and fantasy that is suspenseful enough to offer very mild scares and riveting enough to hold attention through the tale. Once again, Ryan Banfield and the Haunted Rose have produced an incredible Halloween production that is a can’t miss for the season.

It’s a shame that this only lasts for two days. The amount of work put in throughout the year in set construction, prop fabrication, programming, lighting configuration, and even the voiceovers is staggering, and I really wish the run could last longer. On the other hand, given how much work goes into it, it’s understandable that Ryan has to wait until the weekend of Halloween to showcase everything—it wouldn’t be ready any sooner!

Major kudos goes to the Ryan, his actors, and everyone involved with the team on this stunning production. Once again, the Haunted Rose shows its mastery of the home haunt craft, displaying a love for Halloween and embrace of spooky storytelling that is engaging, addicting, and dazzling. I am left in awe.

The Colour appears to try to escape from the well, much to Gardner and Pierce’s shock.

The Haunted Rose is located at 12116 Groveland Ave, Whittier, CA 90604 and runs tonight from 6:30 - 11:00pm. You don’t want to miss this incredible haunted show and yard display. Just remember to wear a mask and stay as socially distanced from others as possible! And remember… don’t drink from the well.