For over a decade, a Valley Village home has been a community tradition, drawing thousands of visitors each year with its elaborate sets, theatrical scares, and creative storytelling. What started as a small home display has grown into a full-scale production — and the most remarkable part is that it’s built and run entirely by local high school students under the banner of Mayhem Productions.
This October marks the final year of the “Halloween House” and the team is debuting something brand new: an immersive “Haunted Play.” In “The Final Draft,” guests will step into the story of a stormy night at a secluded cabin, where a sleepwalking author leads the audience into a mysterious mansion filled with eerie characters and secrets.
Thirty years ago, tragedy struck the Hawthorne family. A father and his two children were found dead under mysterious circumstances inside their sprawling mansion. Their mother, a celebrated novelist, vanished soon after — her disappearance as chilling and unexplained as the murders themselves. Now, the estate has been reopened as a public tour site, drawing curious visitors eager to glimpse the infamous mansion. But the walls still whisper, and shadows still move where they shouldn’t. Guests step inside expecting history — yet some never step back out.
This haunted play blends psychological suspense with supernatural terror, unraveling the secrets of a family destroyed by darkness. As the story unfolds, audiences are pulled into a house where time has stopped, grief has festered, and the dead refuse to rest. Enter the mansion… if you dare.
Guided from room to room, visitors become part of the tale as it unfolds around them. What part will you play in this story?
The event opens on October 24 and runs select nights through Halloween. Admission is free, but timed reservations are required — and, given this is the last year, time slots are expected to sell out quickly.
Time slots are offered every 15 minutes and can be reserved at app.hauntpay.com/events/mayhem-productions-presents-the-final-draft.
Hawthorne Estate is located at 11833 Hesby St. in Studio City. To learn more about Mayhem Productions, visit mayhem-productions.com.
