Halloween in Quarantine

Halloween+in+Quarantine

Angelina Jia, Journalist

With Halloween looking a little different this year, people had to get creative on how to host COVID-safe Halloween events. For those struggling to find fun things to do this time of year, here is a list of ideas.

Visiting a garden is both a safe and affordable option. Sherman Gardens is hosting its “Eerie Evenings in the Gardens” event on October 23 and 24, which will showcase toxic and man-eating plants. Tickets are $20. Rogers Garden’s Halloween Boutique is open now until the 20th and is free to the public. This year’s theme is A Pirates Life for Me and, as usual, it’s gorgeously decorated.

Drive-in movie events are also popping up all over OC. The Mile Square Regional Park in Fountain Valley will be playing “Hocus Pocus” from Oct. 23-25. Tickets are $10 per vehicle. A scarier option would be The Frida Cinema’s event at Mess Hall Market, which will feature films from horror/mystery genres. They will be playing The Fog(Oct. 13), Deep Red(Oct. 20), and Evil Dead 2(Oct. 27). Admission is $25 per car.

CdM Junior Cole Hendrickx, who got to experience a drive-in movie earlier this year, commented, “One of the best parts about drive-in theaters is that you’re in a smaller, confined space with your friends, so you can talk and ask questions without worrying about bothering others. I really enjoyed it and I definitely recommend it for the new experience!”

Urban Legends Haunt is hosting a drive-through haunted house at the OC Fair and Event Center. It will feature live-performances and 4 interactive show zones and is perfect for a fun night with the family or a quarantine buddy. Tickets are between $70 to $100 per car depending on the day and must be purchased in advance.

Another possible activity is booking an escape room at Cross Roads Escape Games. They have three games to choose from, each with its own scary element. The Fun House is magician and illusion themed. The Hex Room plays off the question “would you survive in a horror movie?” Each player takes a quiz and is given an identity before playing. The Psych Ward is the most interactive and different from traditional escape rooms. The teams and players try to outsmart each other and are put through the Dr.’s social experiments to figure out who is “sane”. The rooms are $35 per player.