Monster mash

A haunted evening from Laguna’s past will be resurrected next weekend with the Pageant of the Monsters “Night of the Living Art,” an interactive, backstage haunted house set at the Festival of Arts.

The last Pageant of the Monsters was in 1997, Pageant of the Masters Director Diane Challis Davy said.

Since then, the pageant staff has been so busy working on its annual summer spectacle that the haunted house fell by the wayside, Davy said.

The organization’s board of directors encouraged pageant staff to devise special events to commemorate its 75th anniversary.

“Over the 10 years since we’ve put on the haunted house, we’ve gotten a lot of great feedback from people — mostly in Laguna Beach — who remembered our haunted house, and they had such a wonderful time that they hoped we would revive it,” Davy said.

New this year is the opportunity for attendees to traipse into the pageant’s backstage work areas.

“They will go through our workshops, which have been reimagined as haunted theater spaces,” Davy said. “Our theme is ‘Haunted Theatre,’ and the spirits of the actors and actresses have come to life for one night.”

A special addition to the ghoulish lineup is a Monsters’ Costume/Masquerade Bash from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Oct. 28.

Admission to the adults-only event includes cocktails, dinner at Tivoli Terrace, dancing, a DJ, costume competition, silent auction and admission to the haunted pageant.

Guests at the pageant will be greeted by a “Phantom of the Pageant” before roaming through the backstage area, where the spirits of long dead actors, dancers and singers roam.

“We have 80 volunteers in the haunted house,” Davy said; the group is composed of the summer pageant cast and technicians.

Also in the works are a medieval catacomb, a ghostly seance, a spooky cemetery and a torture chamber.

“Eerie theatrical spectacles that graced the stage in days gone by are recreated by malevolent spirits and mischievous poltergeists. It will be a little scary and spooky, but lots of fun for the whole family,” Davy said.

Frightful spectacles like scary movies, an alien autopsy, a demented chef and fortunetellers will be on the Festival of Arts grounds.

“This will be a once-a-decade event,” Davy said. “We’re sold out for Saturday night.”

Friday and Sunday night are also in danger of selling out; the best availability is Halloween night, Oct. 31.

A limited number of tickets may be available at the door, but advance reservations are highly recommended.

Costumes are not required to attend.

“We’re going to have a whole lot of fun, and it’s going to be interesting,” Davy said. “I’m hoping we will all have endurance.”