By JULIANNE HOMOKAY
Special to the Alpine Mountaineer
“Halloween.” Do you think of a sweet, neighborhood event where kids go door-to-door in homemade costumes in hopes of scoring bucketloads of candy? Or does it seem to you that Halloween has become not only a cultural phenomenon, but also a major retail holiday?
You would be right: According to the New York Times, Americans spend $11.6 billion on the day, and not just for the kids. From Knott’s Scary Farm to the Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor, Halloween is now a major player on the holiday docket.
If you’re looking to stay on the mountain to participate in the fun, you’re in luck. And don’t be surprised if you meet some folks from down the hill in the process. The brand-new Ghost Tour at the Tudor House and Wraith House, now in its second year, are anchoring our mountain Halloween celebrations.
Ghost Tour
The Tudor House’s reputation precedes it: Many mountain residents are aware of its history as a casino run by the notorious gangster Bugsy Siegel, and the brothel across the street at Bracken Fern Manor. Some residents have even reported paranormal experiences on the premises, including my BFF Brandi, who had a conversation recently with what seemed like the disembodied voices of a woman and her son in the parking lot of the Bracken Fern. So when I heard about the Ghost Tour, Brandi and I high-tailed it over there.
Bugsy Siegel’s girlfriend Violet and her lover, who met tragic fates at the Bracken Fern.
Tommy is a bartender at the Tudor House and also the tour’s merry host. He begins the tour with a wine tasting: “It helps to get people juiced up before they go get scared,” he said. Tommy also assists SkyPark’s Wacko the Magician and he furthered the mood by demonstrating some truly astounding card tricks.
Whether we were nervous or not, we then had to face the tour. After a brief history of the main hall, we headed to the infamous basement. Supposedly back in the Bugsy days, if guests talked trash about the gangsters, they were ushered to the basement and met with a less-than-pleasant fate. Tommy fearlessly showed us where some of them still, again supposedly, remain in the chimney walls. Much to our fascination, he showed us the remnants of the bottles broken to destroy evidence when the police raided the joint.
Tommy then led us over to the Bracken Fern where we went to hunt for “activity” as he called it. The stories vary; according to Bob Sparrow of From a Bird’s Eye View and other sources, the Bracken Fern is haunted by the ghosts of a 10-year-old boy who was struck and killed by a car, and a prostitute who threw herself out a window. Tommy told us a different history about Bugsy’s girlfriend Violet and her lover, who was ceremoniously thrown from the third floor. Violet committed suicide the next day.
Jenn Jones, the manager of the Bracken Fern, would most likely back up this version: “I saw a dude!” she said. “A guy in a fedora on the third floor standing by the Heather Room.”
So, as Tommy led us from room to room, with the lights dimmed or out entirely, the tension started to increase. When on the second floor a voice from Brandi’s Ghost Tube app said, “Brandi. Why did you come back?” most of the guests became pretty freaked out and nervously headed for the back stairs.
Said guest Ben of the tour: “So great. So sweet. Amazing. The ghost app made it feel real.” His friend Nicole: “I was a little bit scared, I was crunching into Ben!”
Wraith House
Brandi was also my willing companion last year when we toured Wraith House, “a fun and terrifying labyrinth” that uses “professional-grade props, animatronics and effects” (from the Alpine Mountaineer, Oct. 17, 2024). Every twist and turn of Wraith House features some sort of ghoul, gore, monster or scary clown. And you can feel totally freaked out and good about yourself at the same time. Murphey Arts and Charitable Entertainment (MACE), the organization that produces Wraith House, funnels proceeds from the ticket sales to local arts education programs.
While last year’s event had a run at Lake Gregory Education Center and Lake Arrowhead Brewing Company, “this year’s asylum-themed haunt” will take place “entirely at Lake Arrowhead Brewing Company,” said Meghan Murphey via email.
Other fun
To round out your Halloween experience, keep an eye on our Arts & Entertainment Guide for events all across the mountain. Last year, Crestline featured the Crestline merchant trick or treat, a Halloween Bash at Stockade Grub & Whiskey, a themed game night at Higher Grounds Coffee House, Halloween in the Park sponsored by the Lake Gregory Company, Witches’ Night at Bizzyland and a Haunted House at the San Marzano Wine & Ale Lounge.
In Lake Arrowhead, patrons enjoyed Halloween parties at Tiki Republik and Cadillac Cowboy; this year Heisler Theater will mount Night of the Living Dead at the Tudor House.
SkyPark at Santa’s Village continues its traditions of Pumpkins in the Pines, a Monster Mash skate night and Dead Man’s Party, the Oingo Boingo tribute, at Tunes in the Trees.
In Green Valley Lake, parents will find the annual kids’ halloween party in the Community Garden.
It seems Halloween has become a cultural phenomenon on the mountain as well.
The Ghost Tour at the Tudor House runs Fridays at 11:50 p.m. through Oct. 24; clubarrowhead.com. Note: This is a walking tour with several flights of stairs. The host recommends that at least one of your party downloads the Ghost Tube or Spirit Box app. Wraith House runs Oct. 23-25 and Oct. 30-Nov. 1 at Lake Arrowhead Brewing Company; wraithhouse.net.
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