With Halloween fast approaching, students may wonder what there really is to do out there besides the typical costume party or amusement park haunt. For those looking for something a little different, the Queen Mary’s Shipwreck 2002 festivities offer an entertaining alternative to trick-or-treating.
The Queen Mary’s Shipwreck is a Halloween terror fest now in its eighth year. During Halloween, designers and technicians transform the ship into a haunted lair of ghosts, monsters and masked goblins looking to frighten guests.
The event includes eight mazes: The Haunted Hull of Horrors, Lodontowne of Terror, Decks of the Dead, Marketplace of Madness, Factory of Fears, House of Hallucinations (which is completely in 3-D, offering an even more intense experience), Top Hat’s Terror Factory and the newest edition, the Chamber of Chills.
The mazes are known to be the longest of all Southern California haunted attractions, the walk through taking about five to 10 minutes each depending on guest traffic.
Each of the mazes is uniquely decorated to fit a theme, appropriately reflecting the names of the mazes.
Blood plasters the walls, dead corpses lay side by side and Shipwreck haunters hide behind corners to offer guests who are looking for a scare, a frightening experience.
Entertaining as it is, the Queen Mary Shipwreck actually offers people a chance to really be scared. The mazes are all either completely dark or dimly lit so guests can’t tell know which monsters stand just a few feet ahead ready to jump out and terrorize.
The Shipwreck haunters are camouflaged against dark walls by black gowns and masks. Guests anticipate frights every step of the way.
A loud, bass-filled beat also accompanies the actual walk through the maze, only intensifying the experience of the haunted ship.
However, the mazes, which are located both on and off the ship on the Queen Mary port, aren’t the only attractions that Shipwreck offers. Aside from the mazes, a trilevel dance party in the ship’s 50,000 square feet dance hall offers a club-like atmosphere all night with radio stations such as KROQ, STAR and KIIS providing DJs on various nights.
The Queen Mary’s Shipwreck also schedules live bands on various nights that perform in the actual boiler room of the ship.
So for those looking for a good scare or just of night of music and dancing, the Queen Mary’s Shipwreck offers festivities for everyone to enjoy.
The event runs today, Saturday, Oct. 18 to 20, Oct. 25 to 27, Oct 31, Nov. 1 and 2 from 7 p.m. to midnight.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster or at the box office. It is not recommended for children under 12 and costumes are not allowed.
The Queen Mary is at 1126 Queens Highway in Long Beach.