Hyde Street Massacre, nestled in a dark corner of Temecula, is one of this years new discoveries. It is quite a drive to get there, and even a little difficult to find, but find it you must. This haunted house is a blood-drenched romp through a home rich with a nasty backstory of innocence lost and lives ended.
The setting is Halloween night, at the scene of the famous Hyde Street Massacre. “Famous?” you may ask. Of course. This is where little Otis grew up during the Great Depression. Despite his family’s meager income, Otis created Halloween magic however he could and shared it with the neighborhood kids his age. Time passed, his parents died, yet the grown Otis was still creating Halloween magic despite being ostracized and gossiped about. A group of vandals decided to destroy reclusive Otis’ display on one fateful Halloween night in 1959 and he retaliated with a vengeance. As we approach the abandoned home on a night very similar to the night of the murders, we can see Otis’ dilapidated display has sprung to life. Creepy children beckon us to join in the trick or treating and welcome us to come visit for the Halloween Party that Uncle Otis is throwing.
Atmosphere appears to be just as important to the Hyde Street team as the scares and they got that right for the most part. Guests make a long trek from the parking lot to the ticket booths, then further to the looming facade of Otis’ mysterious home. After trudging across a dusty trail we reach the +Ominous structure, tinged with indigo blue lighting and a a strobe. Dilapidated Halloween decorations dangle as torn remnants from the past and a creepy trick or treater invites us in. The home is, of course filled with your fair share of deranged kids, complete with invitations to stay longer as they prepare for the annual Halloween party.
We give this haunted house as much credit for the scenic design as anything we have seen so far this year. There were multiple rooms of layered, disturbing references to innocence lost and the children that still cling to it. We really appreciated the talent and the hard work that they put into what they were doing. Acting in the middle of a horse track is not the easiest thing, yet they do it effortlessly. Props too for the level of energy that they maintained. Everyone was on point, engaging, fun, and best of all scary.
Fair warning on a few things. This venue charges $5 for parking. While not a fan of a parking fee when there is literally no other option, it all comes out in the wash as the actual haunt itself is more than reasonably priced at $10 for regular and $15 for the VIP experience.
A note on the VIP experience vs. the regular ticket. $10 gets you admission into Hyde Street Massacre. You have to wait in the regular line, but, this being a hidden gem, there wasn’t much of one when we arrived. The $15 VIP ticket gets you the front of the line, and a little glowing wristband that signals to the monsters that they can get a little more tactile with you. This includes touching, grabbing, and smearing fake blood on your face or other exposed skin. Personally I had a great time with that experience.
To make the trip down to Temecula worth while we would suggest heading out there early and stopping at a few wineries and grabbing dinner before getting the wits scared out of you. That is, of course, unless you have another haunt to race off to like we did. Hyde Street Massacre is certainly not a perfect haunt, but is a damned good one. The sets are remarkably designed for a first year haunt and the actors truly give it all that they have. Get down there and see it before it disappears again.
Hyde Street Massacre runs tonight, and Halloween Weekend through the 31st. Grab your tickets here.
