November 02, 2005
Toluca "Terror"
Halloween in Toluca Lake is off the charts! We took a walk to our favorite Mexican restaurant on Monday in order to stroll the neighborhood (the wealthy side) and feel the holiday buzz. On the way, at about 6PM, it was mellow, like any other neighborhood in the country. We even ran into my friend's kids just after they were spooked by a few older kids popping out of bushes. After dinner, around 8, the entire area was overrun. It looked like Hollywood Boulevard but with kids. We had to walk down the middle of streets to dodge the crowds. But if you live in a ten mile radius, I'd imagine there's no where else to be! It is the home to many entertainment folk after all, with lots of money and imagination and access to special effects. One whole block was taken over by a stage and a stunt truck. When we passed there was a "Wiggles" type act taking place.
We saw at least three houses that had been transformed into haunted houses and were taking small groups in one by one. There were lines down their blocks. The best outdoor scene was a giant house that may or may not have been Mandy Moore's or Kirsten Dunst's (according to our twenty-something neighbors). Added to the graveyard setting with mannequins in "living dead" poses, were live actors lurking the lawn in mummy costumes. But the best was that they were projecting classic horror movies from inside, onto their large stained glass picture window. Frankenstein was playing when we passed. Too cool. And there ain't much to actually call cool these days.
My ex boss's house was pitch dark. It had a sign on the door that said "Not Home - But Happy Halloween Anyway". Spooky.
Posted by nora murphy at November 2, 2005 07:52 AM | TrackBack|