Anaheim car wash that waxes horrifying is back
Halloween haunts are often filled with cobwebbed coffins and jump scares, but this Orange County attraction will send you screaming while your car gets scrubbed clean.
Scary clowns will roam alongside customers at this year’s creepy, carnival-themed Tunnel of Terror attraction at Big Wave Express Car Wash in Anaheim, which runs Thursdays-Saturdays through Oct. 31.
Halloween enthusiasts Long Vo of Westminster and Veronica Young of Huntington Beach came up with the idea for the haunt.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, they attended lots of haunts at theme parks and beyond, which inspired the idea for a haunted car wash.
The pandemic meant uncertainty for many Halloween attractions in 2020, and Young and Vo saw an opportunity to step up.
“Halloween was canceled last year,” Young said in a phone interview.
“We decided to do something for the community.”
The car wash functions as usual. Customers buy a ticket online in advance, line up to enter the tunnel, set their cars to neutral when prompted and remain in their vehicles. As soon as the conveyor belt pulls the car in, the terror begins.
Clowns and monsters with props such as chain saws follow participants’ vehicles down the dark car wash tunnel, with surprise scares looming throughout. Lights flash and fog fills the tunnel, while spooky sound effects are broadcast into cars via an FM channel to evoke a sense of the eerie.
Last year’s pause on Halloween also meant the monsters usually roaming the neighboring haunts had nowhere to go, allowing the Tunnel of Terror to give them a temporary home. This year, some of that talent returned, while other actors went back to their usual haunts.
Glo Haro, who plays The Bride at Knott’s Scary Farm, helped summon a few of her fellow ghouls for the occasion. She was brought in as a consultant for the first Tunnel of Terror and is assisting this year as well.
Last year, lines were so long that some customers had to be turned away, Young said. To be more accommodating, organizers decided to move to advance ticket sales only.
Young said she and the team wanted to do it again this year because of all the smiling faces they saw — and the scares and screams.
“Everyone loves the idea,” Vo said in a phone interview. “People want to come to experience the Tunnel of Terror.”
The event is open to all ages, and it’s one ticket per vehicle. For those who plan to bring little ones, Vo suggested coming from 5-7 p.m. while there is still plenty of daylight out.