Recently, some of us here at HorrorBuzz took a last minute trip down to San Diego to check out some of the haunts. Of course, Savage House was on our list, but after that, we split up so we could conquer some of them to give them all coverage. While half of the team went elsewhere, I wound up checking out Scotty’s Scare Trail, in El Cajon, CA, mostly because my son was begging to see it past on its description.

You see, it was set at an abandoned amusement park. Now, sure, this isn’t new. Lots of haunts and horror stuff is set or themed to this. However, Scotty’s has the advantage of ACTUALLY being at an abandoned amusement park. Though I didn’t have the pleasure of visiting it as a kid, Marshal Scotty’s Playland was apparently well loved by those in the area. Sometime after it was abandoned, the Scare Trail took up residence, and oh man, am I glad it did!

On the surface level, everything about Scotty’s Scare Trail would make you believe it is a step or two up from a home haunt. They have kids and teenagers doing the scares, it’s kind of kitschy, and I honestly wasn’t expecting much. However, after going through it, it turned out to be one of the coolest experiences ever, and earned a spot as a “must see” on my Halloween Haunt list for years to come.

I reached out to the folks behind Scotty’s Scare Trail to learn a little bit about its history. The owners of Scotty’s Scare Trail, Dustin Parr and Ryan Powers, are high school best friends who made cheesy Super 8 horror films together, one of which even plays at the trail’s entrance before going in.

“While in high school, Dustin and Ryan wandered through the Marshal Scotty’s property in hopes that they could film a movie there,” said Vikki Powers. “They were quickly kicked out and told to never return, but the park was always in the back of their minds as the perfect creepy location for their next movie.”

Unfortunately, it never happened, so the two started their careers; Dustin as an Engineer and a Graphic Artist, and Ryan as a TV director. Of course, these things would come in handy later on when it came time to create Scotty’s Scare Trail!

“Many years went by, and Dustin was able to secure the property for the purpose of a scare trail. 2015 was the first year for Scotty’s Scare Trail, it quickly came together and was a huge success. The community loved that they could finally revisit Marshal Scotty’s Playland that they enjoyed so much as children,” said Vikki.

Work on this year’s trail began in April, with plans to make it bigger and better than the previous year. More structures were built, and the trail was completely re-done. The two worked together tirelessly to make it the best it could be. It’s obvious that their attention to detail helped bring this thing to life.

Keeping up with the abandoned amusement park theme, you and your group follow the trail through the park, winding through different sections as you go. There is the section where werewolves roam free, the cornfield with killer scarecrows aiming to get you lost, there is clown town, and so much more. Though it only takes about 25 minutes to walk through it, Scotty’s packs more scares in than any other haunt I have visited this season.

Seriously, even scares that we saw a mile awhile were STILL super effective on us. Something about seeing an actor standing completely still as you pass, and making you second guess about whether or not they are real before they pounce is ALWAYS effective for me.

Each actor, no matter their age, played their role to the tee, scaring it up, and really committing to it. Bored teenagers, these are not. These adults and kids LOVE to scare, and scare they do. Two incredible highlights were when we were walking through the bumper cars, and my fiancé was surrounded by freaky, black-light lit monsters, while my son and I laughed. Another was a small child, no more than 6, who stopped us on a trail to tell us to beware of “Lizzy” before having us follow him into his house. Needless to say, Lizzy promptly scared the hell out of all of us, while the young boy said “I told you so!” Who doesn’t love creepy kids?!

As if the actual amusement park setting wasn’t enough, Scotty’s does do a bit more set dressing, and it shines. Some of the “themed” houses we walked through were incredible, as was the entrance to Clown Town. Kudos to their art team for making fantastic use of their space.

Though a bit of a trek for those of us in the Los Angeles / Orange County area, I can honestly say it is well worth the drive. Make an evening out of it and visit a few other places in the area, too, but make Scotty’s a priority, for it is truly a cannot miss. The only thing I hated about it was not knowing about it earlier in the season, so I could go again!

Visit them this Halloween weekend, and check them out online at: www.scottysscaretrail.com