By Justin Tran, Oct. 29, 2024
Haunted house experience Lights Out at the Pomona Fairplex features interactive fright mazes, a vendor village, beer and cocktails, food, live entertainment and a thrilling ZombieBall experience to celebrate the Halloween season. The event operates every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in October.
At Lights Out, guests navigate a series of interactive attractions designed to test their courage. Initially, the size of the crowd concerned me; attendance was low, which was visually noticeable throughout the event. Moving from one maze to another, there were no lines, and it felt empty. However, the sparse attendance allowed for a more personalized experience. The staff was very attentive and stayed intensely in character, often following me throughout my visit.
The main and most common attraction at Lights Out were the interactive mazes. Among the interactive mazes are Contagion, where guests traverse zombie-infested areas, The Shadow Circus, which leads visitors into a dark realm filled with crazed clowns, The Asylum of Horrors, a facility with gruesome experiments and staff ready to jump out from any corner and The Haunted Swamp, enveloped in fog and featuring witches, werewolves and other creatures. There were too many interactive experiences to name each one, but each experience is tailored to its theme, with staff members fully committed to their roles within each section.
Despite the low attendance, I occasionally saw guests emerging from each experience, catching their breath from the thrills and excited to do more.
“I love Halloween,” said attendee David Betz. “I love being scared. Asylum of Horrors was the best maze so far. There was this teddy bear that just fell. I have no idea how they did that.”
In addition to thrilling experiences, Lights Out features a variety of vendors offering unique merchandise made for the Halloween season. K&D Trend Apparel, D&G Toys & Charms, Direct2Film Kustom Kreations, Sleez Teez, Spooky Baby, Basurita Coqueta Shop and many others provide an array of products, from clothing and jewelry to plushies and flasks. The items were so enticing that after picking up a few plushies, I had to stop myself from getting more.
Additionally, scare actors take their roles seriously as they roam the vendor area, ready to terrify guests as they shop.
“It’s sweaty, but this is life, man,” said professional scare actor Giann Bello. “You can’t do this in normal life.”
Guests of legal drinking age can enjoy a variety of refreshments from the Beer & Cocktail Menu. This section of the Lights Out experience was a favorite, with unique seasonal beer options like Zombie Blonde Ale, Lights Out Lager and Owl Pumpkin Lager. For a Halloween twist, there are Blood Bag Cocktails, including the Blood Runner, a rum-based drink and a Terror-Rita, with souvenir shaker cups available as mementos.
Finally, don’t miss ZombieBall, which makes a thrilling return. Lightweight Gellyball guns allow guests to shoot at the undead, making it a popular attraction and the only opportunity to fight back against the horrors within. This attraction had the longest line for good reason, offering a unique twist on the Halloween horror theme.
Overall, this event is ideal for die-hard Halloween fans and a must for date night or a family outing. The attendance size has its drawbacks and benefits. The negatives include a lack of the energetic atmosphere a larger crowd can provide. On the positive side, smaller crowds allow for a more intimate experience, where guests receive personalized attention and feel more like a target throughout their visit.
Attendee Eduardo Cardenas finds watching others react to Halloween scares particularly thrilling.
“This is fun,” Cardenas said. “I like the Halloween vibes. I think it’s funny to scare people and be here. The actors get into it, and I love seeing them scare people.”
Lights Out is an event for ages 13 and older, and tickets are starting to sell out, so be sure to get them soon!
Feature image courtesy of Pomona Fearplex