Reign of Terror – The Iconic Haunt Brings It Once Again

Tucked away in the far end of the Janss Marketplace mall in Moorpark, Reign of Terror has been scaring and delighting fans for twenty straight Halloween seasons. A sprawling haunt boasting 115 rooms broken out into nine themes or “attractions” across 25,000 square feet, it claims the mantle of largest indoor haunt in Southern California. It probably deserves to be called one of the L.A. area’s haunt institutions at this point. While there are plenty of jump scares and simulated gore that keep it in the teens and adults range, Reign of Terror is not an extreme haunt and guests will rarely, if ever, come into physical contact with the actors.

First Time? You’re In For A Treat

For those who haven’t been to Reign of Terror before, the easiest way to describe it is that you walk through nine different haunted houses, strung together one after the other. Each of those nine parts is built around a different theme, including a family of cannibals, demonic possession, a nightmarish fun house, a zombie apocalypse, and more. The production value is impressive throughout, with props, animatronics, and actors to pull out pretty much every trick in the scare book without going the AR/VR (augmented or virtual reality) route. Expect to spend at least 20 minutes making your way through winding corridors and grizzly tableaux, for the scenery to play tricks on you, and for several scares to appear from unexpected places.

Welcome Back, Friend!

On the other hand, those who have attended before will likely notice some differences throughout. New characters emerge from the shadows, walls, and seemingly innocuous decorations to scare guests; updates have been made to props and effects in each of the nine attractions; a new set of rooms will have a special place in the dreams of arachnophobes; and a whole new attraction themed “Containment” has been added. Just don’t make eye contact with the subjects.

While the changes made this year are all to the good, they feel like incremental tweaks rather than a full overhaul. So if you came last year, a lot of things will look and feel familiar. Personally, I thought that there were enough differences from 2018 to keep it from feeling stale. I will say that attending with a first-timer also helped. In the parts I recognized, I kept an eye on my newbie companion to see her reactions to some clever scares; needless to say, much fun was had. And maniacal cackling.

If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

To be fair, there are a lot of reasons for Reign of Terror (and perennial haunts in general) to look to iterate on previous seasons rather than start from scratch each year.

Part of that, realistically, is about keeping the show affordable. High-production-value haunts, especially walk-through haunts, tend to incorporate lots of props and constructed sets which in turn represent a significant investment. Every dollar spent on new pieces is another dollar added to overhead costs that need to be recouped via ticket sales. Trying to re-do large chunks of Reign of Terror each season, let alone the whole thing, would likely do catastrophic things to the entry price, and would risk turning off an audience accustomed to this being a real bang-for-your-buck experience.

But there’s also something to be said for keeping fan favorite rooms in place for multiple years. Top-notch scares inspire not only return visits, but can pull in new guests as those repeat attendees bring their friends to see how they react to those standout moments. I know I caught myself stifling a giggle at points where I knew my companion, a first-timer, was coming up on a particularly nasty spooking, and I have to imagine I’m far from the only one who’s done so.

The Good, The Bad, and the Sweaty

There’s a reason Reign of Terror has been going for twenty years: It’s one of the better haunts out there in terms of value for money. Ticket prices range from $17-$40 depending on the day and whether you go for general admission or VIP. Personally, I recommend getting the VIP ticket. While the only benefit is getting into a faster line, there’s a significant difference in wait time between the two. On the other hand, if the extra fifteen bucks is too much, I wouldn’t call the general admission wait a dealbreaker. Just be prepared to hang out for a little while, much like you might with the mazes at Knott’s Scary Farm or Halloween Horror Nights.

I think one thing that Reign of Terror sometimes struggles with is the conga-line effect that often pops up in walk-through haunts. In addition to being smart about year-to-year changes, Reign of Terror (and other walk-throughs) rely on maximizing throughput to keep prices down while turning a profit. But here groups can sometimes bunch up toward the end of an attraction, which can break any previous immersion. And being kept in groups of six means that even when things are moving, the folks in the middle will often miss out on scares that trigger for those at the front but don’t reset in time for the rest of the party. That said, the Reign of Terror team puts a lot of effort into keeping groups reasonably separate. Some clumping is probably inevitable. But by doing it in a controlled manner I think they mitigate a lot of the potential issues.

Oh, and wear layers. There are fans inside but it can get a little warm, especially with the fear adrenaline.

So, Should You Go?

Yes, I do recommend putting Reign of Terror on your list of things to check out this haunt season. If you’ve been before, definitely try and go with someone who hasn’t… just keep your mouth shut about where the scares are about to come from. I would also suggest reading their FAQ and contacting the haunt if you have issues with mobility, phobias, or triggers that may come into play during a haunted house situation. Reign of Terror covers a truly impressive amount of ground both physically and thematically, and there’s a pretty good bet that if something scares you, they’ve worked it in somehow. There are few independent haunts that can compete in terms of sheer value for money, and fewer still who operate on the same scale.

Tickets can be bought here, or at the kiosk located in the Janss Marketplace shopping center. You can learn more about Reign of Terror on their website or by following them on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.