If you’re a fan of Halloween, chances are you’ve visited the Haunted Hayride in Griffith Park—now in its 17th year—sometime before. But if you’ve been this fall, you will have seen a new but familiar face plastered throughout the event: Elvira. That’s right, the Mistress of the Dark is the new mascot of the hayride’s fictional town of Midnight Falls, breathing fresh life into the haunted house. The iconic character and the ’80s-themed Halloween attraction are a match made in heaven (er, hell).
I sat down to talk with actress Cassandra Peterson—a.k.a. Elvira—to get her thoughts on the Haunted Hayride, L.A.’s relationship with Halloween and her favorite spooky spots.
Peterson actually birthed the character of horror hostess Elvira right here in L.A., on the corner of Melrose and Gower. Known for her signature makeup, low-cut black gown and beehive hairdo, she rose to fame presenting B-movies on the TV show Movie Macabre in Los Angeles in the early ’80s. The character went on to become a beloved pop culture icon that spawned films, comics, pinball machines, a cookbook and endless merchandise—making her a quintessential symbol of Halloween and all things spooky.
For decades, Elvira put on a stage show at Knott’s Scary Farm each Halloween season, only leaving the gig in 2017. This makes her new partnership with the Haunted Hayride—and producer Thirteenth Floor Entertainment—all the more notable. She loves how central the Hayride is for those living in L.A. “This is such a cool thing to actually make it feel like it’s fall in California—which it really isn’t, but here it feels like it is, doesn’t it?”
While Peterson herself isn’t popping up at the Hayride (I spoke to her during a media event there), her likeness can be found throughout the attraction—on vintage TV sets, blown up on the side of a building and, of course, on lots of merch. You can even hear her voice echoing throughout the grounds as she takes over the airwaves of Midnight Falls’ radio station. You can get up close—and very personal—with some aspects of the character at Elvira’s Trick or Treat Mayhem, a new, themed iteration of the hayride’s fan-favorite Trick or Treat maze, where you walk through creepy vignettes with scares sprinkled throughout. You’ll walk by pyramids of old-school televisions, beehive wigs and a movie theater screen screening her films—at one point, you’ll even pass through strip curtains and find yourself walking between a pair of inflatable “breasts.” The entire experience is infused with Elvira’s wit and glamour—narrated by Peterson, with plenty of quips and double entendres.
Besides the maze, Haunted Hayride mainstay the Scary Go Round—a merry-go-round that’s more rough-and-ready and faster than your typical carousel—has been modeled after Elvira’s pooch, Gonk, this year, complete with pink mohawks and boas on every skeletal pup. And if you’re in the mood to spend some money, you can buy T-shirts, limited-edition pins, VHS mystery boxes, an advent calendar or a tiki set—even a mug shaped like the character’s chest—at the Elvira pop-up retail shop.
For Peterson, the collaboration with the Haunted Hayride is a homecoming of sorts. “When my daughter was little, we came here and went on the hayride,” she says. And of course, she’s a huge proponent of anything related to Halloween. “When I was a kid, Halloween was no big deal,” she says. “It has just grown and grown and grown and become a huge holiday. It’s closing in on Christmas for merchandising and all of that. And I think the venues like this have expanded along with it. People love it and want something to do on Halloween, it’s a great holiday. It’s the best holiday. You don’t have to buy any presents for anybody, you don’t have dinners with your relatives. You just get to dress up in your fantasy thing and have fun.”
As for her favorite spooky spots in L.A.? “I love Halloweentown—I’ve got to get over there tomorrow. I love that store.… Hollywood Forever—the movie nights there…going to the cemetery and watching a movie—I mean come on, where do you get to do that? So fun.”
The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride runs through November 2 at the Crystal Springs Picnic Area in Griffith Park (4730 Crystal Springs Dr). Tickets start at $40.