No one does horror stories (in film, of course) like Hollywood. So to tantalise your taste buds with the deliciously creepy on Halloween, join us for a round-up of some of the spookiest spots in Los Angeles.
- On-screen killers and haunted houses: Ice hockey masks haven’t been the same since Michael Myers donned one in the Halloween film franchise. While in LA, you can stop by Myers’ home and the hardware store where he pinches the mask. Elsewhere, travellers can visit the gym where Carrie went psycho on her classmates and the house in which Carol Anne warned “they’re here” in Poltergeist, “they’re back” in the sequel, and something else probably in the third film. And then there are the homes of Freddie Krueger and friends in A Nightmare on Elm Street.
- Built in 1902, the American Horror Story: Murder House has been proclaimed by many as a must-see (particularly around Halloween) for horror buffs. Watch your backs for any ghouls in its eerily dark interior.
Where fiction and fact meet (kind of)
- El Coyote Cafe is the restaurant where Sharon Tate and her entourage had their final meal before the ‘Manson Family Murders’ as depicted in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
- Founded in 1899, Hollywood Forever Cemetary is the final resting place for hundreds of Hollywood stars. Listen out for the sounds of a weeping woman near the lake, who’s said to be the spirit of young Virginia Rappe.
- Hollywood Roosevelt is a once glamorous hotel that opened in Hollywood’s heyday in 1927 and one which the spirit of Marilyn Monroe is said to occupy. If you believe in that sort of thing, check out room 1200, where Monroe lived as a young young actor.
- To a modern-day tale … Jordan Peele’s Nope was filmed in LA, and the original set from the Jupiter’s Claim theme park is now included in the Universal Studios Hollywood Backlot Studio Tour.
Check out how Halloween all started in Celtic Ireland.
For more on LA, visit the Discover Los Angeles website or its trade website.
