Independent ScareScape haunt brings frightful fun to the Inland Empire – Press Enterprise

When Lexy Berru, co-owner of Creative Minds Productions, moved just outside of Temecula, she realized there was an opportunity for Halloween fans and local Inland Empire businesses to come together for a plan so sinister that it just might work.

“Our mission was to really highlight the local talent, craftsmanship and small businesses that are in the Inland Empire because that was really something that we felt was lacking,” Berru said during a recent interview. “A lot of times, the people that live out here are traveling to some of the bigger haunts like Knott’s Scary Farm or Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, and we really wanted something to be available that was produced, operated and curated by locals that live in the area.”

Berru is helping lead her team in the first ScareScape, an immersive and terrifying experience set at Heritage Hill in Murrieta that will run select evenings from Sept. 29-Oct. 29. The event consists of three general admission mazes, one VIP Maze, multiple bars, a VIP lounge, live entertainment, food trucks, roaming monsters and a vendor marketplace that will showcase local businesses.

Among the local vendors is Snapshot Coffee Bar, which will brew creepy lattes inspired by the mazes featured at ScareScape. Ghoulish cocktails like the Beyond the Grave, Ectoplasm Elixir and the Blackout, named after the mazes, will be served at the bars at the maze entrances. Guests can also grab fall treats like pumpkin cream cheese muffins and cinnamon rolls alongside other meals offered by the food trucks.

“It’s definitely been fun working with the local small businesses because it’s a great way to be able to highlight them,” said Emily Seruga, co-owner of Creative Minds Productions. “Some of the small businesses that we work with love being involved in Halloween and spooky season, but sometimes when I’m having conversations with them, they say they don’t always put out all their spooky products because not everyone likes it. So here’s the perfect opportunity for that.”

Berru met Seruga while working on the marketing team for the Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor haunt in Long Beach. Their team was small, but together, they learned what it would take for them to go out on their own and bonded over their love for haunted attractions.

“We have that background and education from the Queen Mary, where we got to see and meet with the executive producers, the creative team, the build crew and got to see their process,” Berru said. “For me, it just really kind of rooted my interest in taking on a bigger role with haunts and ignited a fire that made me want to do something in my local community.”