What began during the pandemic as a way to save Halloween for local families has grown into an elaborate annual tradition filled with actors, puppets, special effects, hidden passageways and, this year, even a dragon.

The Verdugo Woodlands Dads’ Club will present its sixth annual Spooktacular on Oct. 23 and Oct. 24, transforming the Dads’ Club into an immersive Halloween adventure designed for children and their parents to experience together.

This year’s production, “The Prince of Verdugo Castle,” invites guests into a mysterious kingdom where a royal celebration quickly turns into a quest. Rather than simply walking through a traditional haunted house, families become part of the story, moving from scene to scene, interacting with characters, discovering clues and helping determine how the adventure unfolds.

The event traces its beginnings to Halloween during the COVID-19 pandemic when trick-or-treating and community celebrations were put on hold. Working with Glendale’s Community Services & Parks Dept., a group of local dads helped create Drive Boo, a drive-through Halloween experience that allowed families to celebrate safely from their cars.

The response was overwhelming. Cars lined up for as long as two hours as families came out for a little Halloween fun during an otherwise difficult year.

For Spooktacular co-founder Chris Corbett, that response revealed something bigger than the success of a single event.

“There’s no shortage of Halloween events for teenagers and young adults, but we felt there was a real need for something the whole family could experience together,” Corbett said. “We wanted parents to be part of the adventure with their kids – not waiting outside while their children went in. Some of the best moments are watching a child turn around to see if Mom or Dad saw the same thing they just did.”

The following year, the event moved to the Verdugo Woodlands Dads’ Club and became Spooktacular. What started with a handful of dads in costumes leading groups of children through the clubhouse has become increasingly ambitious each year.

Past productions have included pirate sword fights, magical elevators, elaborate puppets, Indiana Jones-inspired adventures and increasingly sophisticated lighting, sound and special effects.

Behind the scenes, however, the production is still very much a community effort.

“People see the finished show, but they don’t always realize how much work happens before that first group ever walks through the door,” said Spooktacular co-founder and writer Andrew Hagelshaw. “There are months of writing, planning, building, rehearsing and coordinating volunteers. Dozens of people bring their own skills to it, and somehow all those pieces come together to create this experience for the kids.”

This year, those volunteers are building the world of Verdugo Castle, complete with ancient ruins, mysterious characters, ghostly illusions and a large-scale dragon.

Jonathan Egstad, who helps create the production’s immersive environments and effects, said the goal is to make each new Spooktacular feel different from the year before.

“We’re always asking what we can try that we haven’t done before,” Egstad said. “This year we’re experimenting with some new effects, including a classic ‘Pepper’s Ghost’ illusion, and we’re building a large dragon as part of the story. The fun is taking theatrical techniques and figuring out how to make them work in this very intimate environment where the audience is only a few feet away.”

One tradition returning this year is also among the simplest and most popular: puppets.

Each year, one scene features local kids performing as puppeteers. While technology and special effects have become more sophisticated, organizers say the handmade nature of the puppet performance – and seeing children become part of the production – has made it a perennial family favorite.

The evening begins as a theatrical experience with small groups entering the story at scheduled times. From there, guests travel through a series of immersive scenes, meeting characters and becoming participants in the unfolding adventure.

But escaping Verdugo Castle isn’t the end of the night.

After completing the show, families emerge into the Candy Arcade, where the emphasis shifts from storytelling and suspense to games, prizes and, naturally, plenty of candy. The format allows families to stay together throughout the evening, first sharing an adventure and then celebrating at the end.

That combination gets to the heart of what Spooktacular has been about since the first cars lined up for Drive Boo six years ago.

The sets have become bigger. The effects have become more elaborate. The stories have become more ambitious. But the purpose remains remarkably simple: create a place where families can celebrate Halloween together and where local parents, kids and volunteers can create something memorable for their community.

Spooktacular: “The Prince of Verdugo Castle” takes place Oct. 23 and Oct. 24 at the Verdugo Woodlands Dads’ Club, 1728 Cañada Blvd. in Glendale. Tickets are now on sale: $15 for general admission and $25 for VIP admission, which includes a themed goodie bag and 15 extra Candy Arcade game tickets. 

Because guests enter the immersive experience in limited, timed groups, capacity is limited and the event is expected to sell out.

Submitted by Chris CORBETT