NIGHTLIFE > PERFECT DATE.

Byline: MELISSA HECKSCHER

>LA.COM 

GET A LITTLE SCARED

If psychopathic killers and violent love triangles are your cup of tea, Esotouric, a company specializing in Los Angeles "crime tours," is offering a special Halloween tour for adults only. Running from Echo Park to the San Fernando Valley and back through Hollywood, the tour visits sites of the "weirdest and most disgusting crimes in L.A.'s history." There's the woman who had her eyes gouged out on Lovers' Lane; the silent-screen star who died and was later eaten by her dog; and the trick-or-treat murder of a Hollywood hairstylist. Romantic, eh? If you want something a little more lighthearted, Esotouric also offers all-ages tours examining the lives of notorious L.A. locals such as crime novelist Raymond Chandler, poet/novelist Charles Bukowski and the "Black Dahlia."

>Cost: $55 per person.

>Information: [phone] or www.esotouric.com.

GET A LITTLE LOST

It's a little intimidating walking into Pierce College's annual five-acre corn maze just after a search party has been called to retrieve some kids who never came out. But brave through it, because lost kids can mean only one thing: This is one darned good maze. Five miles of alternately meandering and dead-ending trails make up the maze, which, when seen from above, depicts a detailed rendering of an American Indian chief. (Hint: If you're walking on his chin, you're not too far from the exit.) Not scary enough for you? The adjacent "Creatures of the Corn" maze throws in a few chainsaw-toting crazies, ready to pounce. All in good fun, of course.

>Cost: $12 per person (which includes admission to the college's Harvest Festival, featuring kiddie rides, pumpkin patches and, not surprisingly, a lot of roasted corn).

>Address: Pierce College, 6498 De Soto Ave., Woodland Hills. >Information: [phone] or www.halloweenharvestfestival.com.

CARVE ON A HAPPY FACE

Whoever said olives were an aphrodisiac hasn't tried pumpkins. OK, so they may not fit in a martini glass, but really, nothing says "Happy Halloween, honey," like a smiling orange squash with a candle inside. The pumpkin patch at Pierce College's Harvest Festival has a wide selection (including the elusive white pumpkin-- who knew?). So find your perfect pumpkin, uncork a bottle of wine, grab some cutting tools and carve away.

>Cost: $10 and up (for two pumpkins).

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Photo:

(1) no caption ("Black Dahlia")

(2) no caption (Pierce College corn maze)

(3) no caption (pumpking)