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The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor Returns to Long Beach!
After four long years, the highly anticipated return of The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor is finally here, and the revival of this beloved event does not disappoint. For over a decade, Dark Harbor delivered the scares. This year, as the fog rolls in over Long Beach, the spirits rise and give horror enthusiasts in Southern California exactly what they’ve been waiting for.
From 2010-2019, Dark Harbor captivated the residents of Long Beach and beyond, offering an immersive Halloween experience like no other. Now, the haunted ship creaks to life once more, welcoming the bravest of souls to enjoy a spooky night both on board the ship and in the surrounding harbor. This year’s event seamlessly blends the legacy of Dark Harbor with the high caliber production that we consistently see from Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group. Event organizers have announced the return of fan favorite mazes, iconic characters, show-stopping entertainment, as well as many new surprises that will make their debut this Halloween season.
Three mazes will be on board the ship this year, and they do not hold back on the scares. This year’s rendition of Lullaby brings an entirely new path with all new sets. This maze gives us a walk on the bridge over the boiler room and a rare view into the historic first class pool, and ends with a finale that has never been seen before in a Dark Harbor maze.
Feast is back! But this year, we get a reimagined prequel that shows us the story of The Butcher and how he rose his way up the ranks to become Head Chef. This maze includes new scenes and a new finale.
The last maze on board is Infirmary, which introduces us to a brand new character, The Surgeon. This unexpected storyline has never been explored before, and he’s not working alone. His accomplice is none other than Graceful Gale, who now has her own maze for the first time since 2017.
In the harbor, The Ringmaster is back with their twisted circus. This maze is entirely new, but includes fan favorites from the past like the ball pits. Also in the harbor is another new maze, Breakout. This maze continues the story of Samuel The Savage who has been dragged from stateroom B340 to a seaside jail. But he has escaped and now you’re on the run too. This massive maze seamlessly blends towering new sets within the existing English village to create the urgency and intensity of escaping through a real seaside village. No spoilers, but the finale of this maze is a new take on a fan favorite experience that is sure to terrify and delight fans.
Secret bars are also back, but with a new take. Now called Speakeasies, these secret bars are hidden in and around Dark Harbor’s attractions. Their location is a secret, but the mysterious Lady Mabel, another new character at DH, might point you in the right direction if you see her for an astrology reading. Rumor has it that the Speakeasies will change throughout the season, but no one knows for sure as these hidden bars do not appear on any map.
This year’s event delivers on the promise to bring back the best elements of the past while adding new and cutting edge experiences and attractions. Dark Harbor will run select nights from September through November 2nd at the historic and notoriously haunted Queen Mary, located at 1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach, CA 90802. Tickets are available now at www.darkharborhalloween.com. Dates and times sell out quickly so get yours before they’re gone!
A luxury team-building trip descends into a bloody fight for survival against a vengeful retreat leader in Corporate Retreat, out today in theaters. It’s the latest entry in a cathartic subgenre of workplace horror that examines every harrowing aspect of job employment.
No job is safe from horror, either, from babysitting to even the most white-collar gigs. But if you work an overnight shift? All bets are off. Vengeful co-workers and bosses aside, the night shift is likely to come armed with witches, creatures, demons, and all manner of things that go bump in the night. Even deadly outbreaks.
Corporate Retreat, along with these five horror movies centered around some of the worst night shifts, will make you glad the weekend has finally arrived.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe
Passenger director André Øvredal goes full throttle for the scares in this quiet little chiller that sees a father and son coroner team stumped over the bizarre mysteries contained within the body of an unidentified young woman during an unexpected night shift. Well-executed scares, clever twists, and earnest performances by Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch give this supernatural haunter serious heft. While the narrative bides its time unveiling the truth behind Jane Doe’s battered body, it’s heavily steeped in witchcraft. In other words, The Autopsy of Jane Doe presents a new take on the subgenre. More importantly, it’s seriously scary.
Cold Storage
COLD STORAGE, StudioCanal 2023
A lethal, mutated fungus breaks free from confinement deep within the bowels of a storage facility. At the frontlines of the madness are Teacake (Stranger Things’ Joe Keery) and Naomi (Barbarian‘s Georgina Campbell), two employees thrust into the middle of the chaos when they investigate an alarm beeping somewhere deep within the building. Director Jonny Campbell (Netflix’s Dracula), working from a script by David Koepp based on his novel, helms the goopy madness with workman efficiency. This lighthearted, goopy horror comedy romp makes the deadly night shift a bit more bearable.
Graveyard Shift
Graveyard Shift follows new hire Hall (David Andrews) tasked by his mean boss Warwick (Stephen Macht) to assist with the insane rat infestation beneath their mill. They find something much most monstrous as the cause. Though the film was panned, it’s a fun creature feature with an always welcome appearance by Brad Dourif as the intensely eccentric exterminator. The film also opts for a happier ending, whereas (spoiler), the story sees both Hall and Warwick getting devoured by the mutated rats, the crew in the upstairs mill none the wiser.
Last Shift
‘Last Shift’
Rookie Officer Jessica Loren (Juliana Harkavy) has been assigned to watch over a closing precinct on its final night of operation…alone. With nearly everything already moved over to the new station, including rerouted 911 calls, it should be a pretty quiet night as she waits for a Hazmat team to arrive to remove biohazardous waste. Instead, it becomes a waking nightmare as she’s forced to deal with unsettling visitors. Last Shift, co-written by Scott Poiley and director Anthony DiBlasi, brings the scares.
Intruder
The overnight stock crew of a local grocery store finds themselves falling victim to an unseen killer in this highly infectious late ‘80s slasher. The deaths are delightfully gruesome and inventive; look for this killer to make excellent use of grocery store items as weapons. Frequent Raimi collaborator Scott Spiegel directed this bloody slasher, which means a lot of overlap with the Evil Dead II. That means putting Sam Raimi in front of the camera for a change, along with Ted Raimi and Evil Dead II’s Dan Hicks. Look for a cameo by Bruce Campbell as well!
Corporate Retreat releases in theaters today; get tickets now.
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