Knotts Scary Farm and Halloween Horror Night at Universal Studios

The Halloween season is upon us -- my favorite time of year! Time to put on our braves faces and prepare ourselves for the numerous haunted attractions that have, and will start, popping up all over Los Angeles. I had the pleasure of attending some of the best theme park haunts this past week, and while both were unique in their own way, they all offered up enough screams to make anyone hoarse. Happy Halloween!

Knott's Scary Farm

First, I made my way over to Buena Park to check out the ever popular Knott's Scary Farm, one of the first theme parks to embrace Halloween. Now in its 43rd year, Scary Farm gets bigger and better every year. With 10 haunted mazes, ranging in theme and scares, elaborate scare zones, a new Elvira stage show, and much more, this year's haunt was better than ever.

Maze standouts were The Tooth Fairy, which combined two of my private fears -- dentists and creepy kids. I cringed and screamed my way through this maze and was all too happy to reach the end and make it out safely into the night. That is until I reached Paranormal Inc, which is a take on the haunted adventure shows popular on TV. With a promise from a terrifying spectre that we were all going to die tonight, we made our way through an abandoned asylum encountering the angry spirits residing within.

Forevermore was also a favorite as I am a huge fan of Edgar Allen Poe and this maze gave life to his most terrifying tales -- bloody and beautiful all at the same time. You also won't want to miss Voodoo: Order of the Serpent and Pinocchio Unstrung.

If you find yourself short on time, I suggest skipping My Bloody Clementine and The Gunslinger's Grave: A Bloody Moon Rises. With the excellence of the other mazes and the lackluster scares in these two, you won't be missing much if you decide to move on.

Do not, however, skip their two great Halloween shows. Back again, and a Scary Farm favorite, is The Hanging, the park's assault on anything and everything that was part of pop culture this past year. No one is safe and this show does not hold back on taking celebrities out in extremely bloody glory!

Also back this year is the Mistress of the Dark herself, Elvira. Her show is part choreographed dance, part stand-up and part aerial effects. Is it a bit cheesy? Yes. But that's one of Elvira's charms... and boy does she still look great!

For some added fun Knott's is offering guests the chance to purchase a skeleton key along with their tickets. The key unlocks special rooms at select mazes and offers a more interactive experience. These rooms were my favorite parts of the evening, as I left traumatized after having my hands tied to the ceiling by a maniac puppet and later having to plunge a bloody heart into a poor screaming victim.

As always, Knott's Scary Farm is at the top of my recommendation list this year. The mazes deliver the screams and will absolutely mesmerize you with their details and precision.

Knott's Scary Farm runs through Oct. 31 at 8039 Beach Boulevard in Buena Park. For tickets or information visit www.knotts.com/scaryfarm

Universal Studios Halloween Haunt

Like every year, Universal Studios Hollywood pulled out all the scary stops for their gruesomely delightful Halloween Horror Nights. They once again deliver an event full of terrifying mazes, unique scare zones, and a terror tram that places you in the middle of The Purge. With new mazes and new live shows, prepare yourself for a horrifyingly fun night that rivals no other.

The terror begins the second you step into the park and realize you are right in the middle of the first scare zone -- Exterminatorz. Here you are the vermin that must be eliminated and there are plenty of exterminators running around with weapons to make sure the job gets done. If you manage to get away, it won't be long until you reach the next scare zone as they are scattered all over the park. Dark Christmas, Corpz and The Purge are some of the nightmarish zones you'll encounter and each is terrifyingly terrific.

The mazes, as always, were exceptional. Halloween: Michael Myers Comes Home was my favorite of the night, with the movie franchise being one that I watched repeatedly growing up. The maze is a replica of the Myer's home in the original film and it feels like you are stuck in the movie, literally running from Michael himself. Make sure you take a moment to take in all the details throughout, true fans will be delighted.

Another stand-out was This is the End 3D, a take on the horror/comedy of the same name. Donning 3D glasses you'll wander through a neon colored apocalypse with plenty of scares and laughs along the way. Leaving the comedy behind, The Walking Dead: Wolves Not Far will take fans through scenes from the last season of "The Walking Dead" with the same gruesome deaths viewers gasped at on their TVs.

Universal Halloween Horror Nights always makes sure to incorporate the popular AMC show into their haunt, and this year they once again were extremely successful. Insidious: Return to the Further, Alien vs. Predator and Crimson Peak, based on the upcoming film by Guillermo Del Toro also have mazes devoted to them.

The terror tram this year switched its focus from "The Walking Dead," to the "The Purge." a nice change from the last two years. Now, instead of running from zombies through the studio backlots, we are fleeing from something more terrifying -- homicidal maniac Republicans. With patriotic music filling the air, you'll be threatened with chain saws, knives and guns as you try to make it through the night and survive The Purge.

A new addition to this year's Haunt is the talented dance troupe Jabbawockeez, who became stars after winning the first season of "America's Best Dance Crew." The popular hip hop dance crew have since become headliners at numerous Las Vegas hotels/casinos and are known for their excellent and creative choreography. Debuting a new show just for this Haunt, the crew will amaze you with their moves. Incorporating some spooky themes into their show, fans will get a little taste of what it feels like to be sucked down into a nightmare ridden rabbit hole only to land in a strange world where nothing is as it seems. The show was both funny and a little frightening, but the talent of the dancers is what makes the biggest impact. Make sure you take a break from running away from spooks and spirits and check out the Jabbawockeez for a truly phenomenal show.

I am a huge horror fan; I love being scared. For this reason I always enjoy Universal's Haunt, because there is so much to take in aside from crew members in masks trying to illicit cheap scares. Of course, Halloween Horror Nights has the advantage of using the Universal back lot, with professional props and expert designers, and this is why it is so important to take it everything around you. So much effort goes into these excellent mazes, from the sets and props throughout the park, to the outstanding makeup on the actors. Try your hardest not to close your eyes, because there is plenty of beautifully horrific scenery to take in... and you won't want to miss any of it.

"Halloween Horror Nights" runs through Nov. 1 at Universal Studios Hollywood 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City. For information or tickets, visit http://www.halloweenhorrornights.com.