Coffin Creek wasn't SoCal's flashiest haunted attraction. But it always got the scream

2 weeks ago 9

These days, a nighttime astatine 1 of SoCal’s astir fashionable haunted attractions usually begins with attendants scanning integer tickets astatine a intelligibly marked entrance.

At Coffin Creek, things were a small different.

Those who made the travel to Corona’s yearly haunt entered an eerie country the infinitesimal they veered disconnected the 71 Freeway and down the desolate roads to Riverview Recreation Park, wherever Coffin Creek made its home. In the parking area, the particulate kicked up by the vehicles created its ain furniture of fog, and sounds could beryllium heard successful the acheronian — faint screams, the echo of concatenation saws and the tense chatter of the hauntgoers. There was ever a consciousness of enigma and excitement: With its independent, grassroots vibe, Coffin Creek — 1 of the longest-running Halloween attractions successful Southern California — was the small haunt that could.

Coffin Creek has had its last run. Its laminitis and operator, Gary Shireman, passed distant past period astatine the property of 74. But its fable lives connected successful the assemblage of Halloween enthusiasts.

Coffin Creek, situated astatine Riverview Recreation Park, had a rustic feel, which added to the spookiness.

While Coffin Creek, which astatine times went by the sanction Crossroads Haunted Village, was fundamentally a destination populated by respective independently owned and operated haunted mazes, Shireman was the caput of the operation. An electrician by commercialized and a longtime fearfulness fan, Shireman launched the endeavor successful 2007 aft spending years searching for a location. He landed upon 180 acres of a parkland successful Corona adjacent the Santa Ana River. And arsenic helium soon discovered, it was already haunted, perhaps.

The backstory of the Coffin Creek locale — astatine slightest arsenic it’s told done a paper communicative connected the haunt’s website — is that successful 1938, a monolithic flood deed Southern California, unearthing 13 coffins successful Corona from an abandoned cemetery. Only immoderate of the quality remains from those coffins were recovered, and soon radical successful the country began seeing and proceeding unusual things astatine night.

Local artists and volunteers worked each twelvemonth to unfastened Coffin Creek, which was ne'er a accumulation arsenic flashy oregon refined arsenic Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, Knott’s Scary Farm oregon immoderate of SoCal’s well-established haunted maze destinations — but that was portion of the allure. The acheronian of the woods and muddy terrain was conscionable arsenic effectual scenery arsenic immoderate of the bedsheet drapery oregon woody flats that had been acceptable up. While a discerning impermanent whitethorn person noticed that immoderate of the haunted acceptable pieces were missing a small overgarment oregon not lighted each that well, the cackling heard from the acheronian spaces successful betwixt reminded folks that it was each astir the last thrill. One could ne'er archer erstwhile a chain-saw-wielding madman was astir to leap retired from down a wall.

The motion for the Coffin Creek Manor maze.

“Gary’s mazes were precise old-school and precise low-tech, and helium was a large proponent of that,” said Warren So, a contributor for Hollywood Gothique, an online usher to each things fearfulness successful L.A. “He felt that each we request is simply a bully old-school scare. As agelong arsenic radical scream, past it’s successful.”

In 1 2011 interview, Shireman said helium would enactment each twelvemonth for that “first shriek of the season.” Some attendees would instrumentality 1 measurement done the beforehand doorway and travel close backmost out.

The mazes astatine Coffin Creek had names similar Chambers of the Mausoleum, Labyrinth of Lost Relics, Bog of the Abyss, the Dark Realm and Coffin Creek Manor, the legend’s namesake. One of the astir endearing aspects of the destination was that respective of the mazes took residence successful the imperishable structures that composed the medieval-inspired colony of the Koroneburg Renaissance Festival connected the park’s grounds.

A scare histrion acceptable for his adjacent victim.

Actors played each types of ghoulish creatures, including orcs and vampires. Uncle Zed’s Zombie Safari, which was 1 of respective haunted hayride-style attractions that appeared implicit the years, adjacent featured thing of a community-sourced postulation of monsters, each of which originated from autarkic contributions to the Secure, Contain, Protect (SCP) fearfulness subgenre. Guests of this Coffin Creek attraction were carted on from 1 breached containment script to the next, with roving monsters periodically astonishing them successful the acheronian betwixt the scantily lighted vignettes.

Steve Biodrowski, the proprietor and relation of Hollywood Gothique, said Shireman worked tirelessly down the scenes, dealing not lone with the haunt’s instauration but besides with each the reddish portion that came with operating astatine the Corona park. Biodrowski recalled Shireman telling him astir the analyzable quality of its ownership. “There were similar 4 antithetic owners,” Biodrowsky explained. “One was federal, and I judge it had thing to bash with the Army; past determination were authorities and section departments involved. Getting everybody to motion connected to a woody oregon hold to let the haunted colony to run was conscionable adjacent impossible.”

Clowns haunted the premises — and visitors' dreams.

Over the years of Coffin Creek’s assorted incarnations, a fig of ancillary attractions complemented the mazes: a magic show, fearfulness merchandise vendors and nutrient stands. Some of the haunts included higher accumulation worth effects — Chambers of the Mausoleum, for instance, featured inventive animatronics from its main operator, Figment Foundry. Even by the mid-2010s during a proliferation of section haunted attractions, the colony downsized but the mazes ne'er mislaid their charm. By continually utilizing veneers and components from past maze builds, the distinctive scenery and the talents of passionate, volunteers, Shireman continued to conjure an entertaining enterprise.

His passionateness for haunted attractions did not extremity astatine Coffin Creek. In 2022, Shireman partnered with haunt shaper Jason Thompson to big the Haunt X normal astatine the Fairplex successful Pomona. The lawsuit provided autarkic haunt owners and artisans an accidental to network, larn commercialized techniques and showcase their enterprises and goods with 1 different and with their fans.

“He wasn’t conscionable into haunted houses,” So said of Shireman. “He was ever bouncing ideas astir different Halloween worldly that was family-friendly — not scary — for the kids.” Additionally, So said that Shireman was generous with the community. “He loved talking to you astir your haunt and his haunt and sharing ideas. I deliberation everybody would hold that helium was ever consenting to help. Another buddy of excavation was gathering his haunted house, and adjacent though it had thing to bash with Gary, helium was down to assistance retired and physique retired successful the heat, successful the desert. And Gary did not payment 1 azygous cent. That’s conscionable the feline helium was — helium doesn’t inquire for thing and conscionable wants to marque a person and assistance marque a bully haunt.”

Shortly earlier his death, Shireman expressed enthusiasm astir Coffin Creek’s future. He had announced that the haunt would beryllium moving to a caller Riverside location, the Lake Perris Fairgrounds, wherever it would run successful tandem with the Perris Pumpkin Patch. That couldn’t happen, but the Perris Pumpkin Patch has been operational this play and remains a family-friendly destination.

And portion the haunt whitethorn person ended, similar with immoderate bully maze, determination whitethorn ever beryllium thing much lurking ahead.

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