Merrily macabre marionettes hauntingly helm a sweet ‘Spooktacular'

Sometimes we prefer sunny interludes with our thrilling scares.

And visiting with monsters? We'd like such memorable moments to be on the merrier side, if you please.

Finding festive, family-centric autumn adventures isn't too tricky around Southern California — we do, after all, have some of the most fabulous pumpkin patches, festivals, and farms around — but an inside experience of a theatrical nature is a rarer treat for little ones.

But the playful puppets of the beloved Bob Baker Marionette Theater will sassily step up, as they so charmingly do, to deliver a fun-filled, only-slightly-chilling fall production for families.

It's called the "Hallowe'en Spooktacular" and it will again haunt the haunting Highland Park theater from Sept. 7 through Nov. 10, 2024.

Yep, it is happening on select dates over much of the fall and seats do fill up faster than a magical broom can fly. (And by seats, we do mean chairs as well as the coveted floor spots near the action, which the tots do adore.)

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Several classic marionettes make colorful cameos during the gentle-of-heart show, including Frankenstein's monster, ensorcelled characters of a witchy nature, and skeletons that summon smiles.

In fact, "over one hundred spirited puppets" appear in the live, before-your-eyes extravaganza.

There are a few morning and afternoon times, if that works best for you and your early-to-bed squad.

For all of the quaint, not-so-creepy charms this annual confection has to offer, haunt this site now.