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2013 Valentine’s Haunts

Wednesday, February 13th, 2013

The first haunt season of 2013 has arrived bringing some love and lots of fear. If you find it romantic to be stalked by spooks, frightened by freaks, and chased by chainsaws then check out this line up of Valentine’s Day Night haunts that are promising to get your heart pumping. So hold your loved one(s) by the hand and and pray it stays attached to their body. As we always say, love will never do without haunts.

Arx Mortis - Killen, AL

Arx Mortis will be open Valentine’s Day Night (Feb 14th) AND Friday, Feb 15th at 7 pm for our first annual My Bloody Valentine SPECIAL Event.Top rated Covington Clinic (50,000 sq ft indoor haunted attraction) will be open TWO days for this special Valentine’s Day event.

Bloody Valentine at Fields of Fear - Lafayette, IN

FEAR IS ALIVE! Indiana Fields of Fear offers 3 haunted attractions for Bloody Valentine on Saturday, February 16, 2013. Our haunted attractions include The Gallows, Creature Cavern, and Hogs Hollow Farm.

 

Fright Manor – Indianapolis’ Scariest Haunted House - Indianapolis, IN

Fright Manor Haunted House is proud to bring you the Scariest Haunts in Indianapolis! We had record numbers showing up this past season and if you enjoyed watching your friends cry we suggest you come back this year! We are still running two large haunted houses for the low price of $20.00. Get your $2.00 off coupon today and save!

Kim’s Krypt - Essex, MD

Kim’s Krypt will be OPEN February 22 – 24 2013! Come celebrate Valentine’s Day with Kim’s Krypt! Hearse rides also available! $5.00

Dark Valentine - Passic, NJ

A little tired and sad during the holidays?  Wish there was a little more action and excitement?  Look no further!  Night-mares Haunted Attraction proudly presents “Dark Valentine” haunted house event, coming February 2013 and open on February 15 & 16th from 8pm-11pm.  Tickets available now!

Eli Roth’s Goretorium - Las Vegas, NV

Valentine’s Day at Goretorium. While no specisl V-Day event has been announced you can  ”get hitched” in a zombie wedding or other horrifying themes. You can also choose between a “scary” or “vampire” minister with a variety of add-ons such as a blood dripping unity candle set.

Blood Manor  – NYC, NY

Chocolates, roses, sentimental cards, and…buckets of blood! That’s right: Blood Manor is bringing back their Anti-Valentine’s Day haunt! Guaranteed to make your date cling closely to you, this haunt is not for the squeamish! Scare Zone has visited Blood Manor on Valentine’s Day and had a bloody good time. Read our review here.

Times Scare – NYC, NY

Times Scare hasn’t announced any special Valentine’s events, but the year-round haunt also offers drinking, dining and shows for the makings of a scary date night. Be sure to check out our review of Times Scare before you go.

Castle Blood’s Valentine’s Show - Monessen, PA

If you’re finished with all that mortal kissy smoochy romantic stuff, come take this special scary tour and learn the truth. Love and Death, Revenge of the Heart. Castle Blood’s Valentine’s show is a cynical, sarcastic look at this human tradition, and how only we are truly capable of declaring someone their immortal beloved.

Ripley’s Haunted Adventure: My Bloody Valentine – Gatlinburg, TN

Stay Close to the One You Love… Because you never know what might happen when you’re in the Haunted Adventure on Valentine’s night.

Moxley Manor’s Valentine’s Day Massacare - Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX

The DFW Haunted House will be open in February for our 3rd Annual Valentine’s Day Massacre! A wicked kind of love will be introduced at Moxley Manor’s Valentine’s Day Massacre Haunted House in Dallas / Ft. Worth, Texas. The haunted attraction will be open for 3 nights of fright for those of you looking for an alternate way to celebrate the Valentine’s Day Holiday.

The Cutting Edge - Dallas, TX

For the ultimate romantic evening this Valentine’s Day, complete with candlelight, roses and zombies, Cutting Edge Haunted House presents “Twisted Love,” a night of hair-raising, spine-tingling terror, that will send your date into your arms faster than you can say, “Don’t worry honey, I’ll protect you.” Guests will negotiate the treacherous hallways of the World’s Largest Haunted House aided only by candlelight, dodging jealous, lovelorn zombies and bloodthirsty ghouls bearing roses, chocolates and chainsaws.   Nothing says “I love you” like a bloodcurdling scream, and no one brings you romance gone awry like Cutting Edge Haunted House in Dallas / Fort Worth Texas. Put some adrenaline into your Valentine’s Day plans, and give that special someone a fright to remember at Cutting Edge’s “Twisted Love” monster date night extravaganza!

Dollz Haunted House: My Bloody Valentine - Dallas, TX

In the early 1900s a young entrepreneur established a doll store and factory in an old abandoned warehouse in downtown Dallas. The business soon took off and became well-known for its quality and attention to detail. The dolls were remarkably human-like and sales were brisk. Before long, business was so good that it became difficult to keep up with the orders. To make matters worse, the company found itself unable to maintain enough inventory of doll parts to meet the demand. With an overwhelming backlog of orders and not enough parts to fill them, the young businessman and his family resorted to drastic measures.

The Haunt House Dallas - Dallas, TX

Come see what lurks behind the corner! The Haunt House is having a one night Valentine special event for you creeps out there. Bring your sweetie to FRIGHTS OUT Saturday Feb. 16th 8-11pm.

St. Albans Sanatorium - Radford, VA

For nearly a decade paranormal groups have investigated St Albans and the reports of full bodied apparitions, shadow figures, levitating objects, disembodied (often threatening) voices and physical contact are just some of the documented occurrences. A “ghost hunt” at St Albans Sanatorium is much more than an occasional slamming door, benign EVPs, blinking flashlights or rolling balls. It promises to be an evening complete with anticipation, excitement and fear!

  We hope you have a horrifyingly FABULOUS Valentine’s Day NIGHT! 

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Posted in Dallas/Ft. Worth, New York, Texas, Valentine's Day Haunts, Virginia | No Comments »

Christmas Haunts Return for 2012

Thursday, December 6th, 2012

The holidays are almost upon us, so what better time to being planning your Christmas haunt stalking?

Although there are not a whole lot of scary Christmas activities out there, the list does seem to grow every year. When we hear of more Christmas haunts, we’ll be sure to bring you the details.

Las Vegas

The Screamont Experiment will re-open December 1st all decorated up with slay bells for the holidays. This multi-level 35,000 sq. ft haunted attraction is loacted inside The Las Vegas Club on Fremont Street and  was designed by the maniacal mind of The Amazing Johnathan. It certainly is not a cover up for some sort of biological disaster in the north tower of the hotel.

Goretorium hasn’t announced any special holiday plans, but the year-round haunt will continue to terrorize through the holiday season and beyond. Click here to see more of our coverage of Goretorium.

Evil Dead: The Musical

  

Tired of seeing the Nutcraker year after year? Then how about a Boomstick, chainsaw and zombies.  What’s the show that people keep returning to again and again, sometimes yelling the lines along with the actors and sometimes interacting with lines of their own? You might think ROCKY HORROR, but in this case you’d be WRONG. It’s EVIL DEAD THE MUSICAL, the camp comedy that is painting the town BLOODY! Critics, fans, theater lovers, theater haters, and just about anyone who happens to find themselves at the show all agree – this is the best thing since sliced veins! Hot chicks! Dancing zombies! A guy with a chainsaw for a hand! Come get your “groovy” on! 

We hear this show in a 4D experience with a “splatter zone” so be sure to check your seats before you buy!

New York

Nightmare (Before Christmas): The Experiment is coming back to town. New York City’s Nightmare haunted house producers, the Psycho Clan, are ready to spread some holiday fear.

This event is described as a “sensory assaulting theatre experience,” the 50-minute interactive show  it runs December 7 through December 23, 2012, at Los Kabayitos Laboratorio at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center (CSV), 107 Suffolk Street between Rivington and Delancey.

Studies have shown that the anxiety of the holiday season, coupled with seasonal depression, heightens the neurotransmitters associated with feelings of fear.  The Psycho Clan plans on exploiting those levels of fear for an adrenaline rushing 50 minutes of twisted holiday pleasure, with NIGHTMARE (BEFORE CHRISTMAS): THE EXPERIMENT. This year has been expanded with all new experiments while taking old ones to a more intense level in this terrifying (and entertaining) examination into the limits of fear. The Experiment takes place in a small lab putting the audience through 10 intense experiments testing a broad range of common fears that people experience. The audience plays the subject in a case study for research on the threshold of fear. Will YOUR limits be hit?

NIGHTMARE (BEFORE CHRISTMAS): THE EXPERIMENT has been created by the Psycho Clan members: Timothy Haskell, John Harlacher, Paul Smithyman and David Hinkle.

Performances are on December 7,8,9,14,15,16,18,19,20,21,22 and 23 all at 7 and 9 pm, as well as Family Friendly performances on December 22nd, and 23rd at 3 pm

Tickets for NIGHTMARE (BEFORE CHRISTMAS): THE EXPERIMENT are $30 for regular performances, and $15 for the family friendly performances on December 22nd and 23rdat 3 pm and are available at www.hauntedhousenyc.com, or by calling 212.352.3101 or at the box office 1-hour prior to each performance.

 

Times Scare hasn’t announced any special holiday plans, but the year-round haunt will continue to terrorize through the holiday season and beyond. Be sure to check out our review of Times Scare before you go.

 Southern California

Delusion is extending it’s run due to popular demand, “one final time”! As we’ve shared in our review, Neil Patrick Harris and Jon Braver have created some horrifying magic together as Delusion: The Blood Rite is adding 6 more dates to spice up the holidays between Thanksgiving and Christmas: Nov 30, Dec 1, 2, 7,8 and 9.  Special VIP tickets will be made available giving fans an exclusive behind the scenes tour with creator/director Jon Braver and a chance to join the action in a unique way. If you still haven’t experienced it be sure to go see it ASAP!

Sinister Pointe reopens this December to bring back their “Not So Merry” holiday haunt. They’ll be open December 7, 8, and 9 as well as December 14, 15, and 16 (7-midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and 7-11 pm on Sundays).

Sinister Pointe is spreading a little Christmas FEAR to all you horror fiends with a NOT so merry haunt. SP will be adding a little dark Xmas flare to our existing haunt with  a few new surprises and a horrible holiday theme. This event is rude and crude! Expect inappropriate behavior, language and insults. If you are easily offended then this specific holiday event is NOT for you!!

It sounds like they are bringing back the drunken Santa and perverted bunny. Read our haunt report from last year’s holiday event to see what we’re talking about. Tickets are $17 for general admission.

Texas

Moxley Manor is open in December for their 3rd annual NightScare Before Christmas! The Holiday season has a new twist with NightScare Before Christmas at Moxley Manor Haunted House. A Nightscare Before Christmas will have all the screams that were heard throughout October, only now it is our Elves that have taken over Moxley Manor in our Christmas themed haunted house.

 

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Posted in Holiday Haunts, New York, Southern California | 1 Comment »

Scare Zone’s 2012 Top Haunts

Sunday, November 25th, 2012

Another Haunt Season has passed away, so now it’s time for us to reflect back and rank the best and worst of our 2012 haunt stalking.

As you all know, haunt experiences can be a highly individual and subjective experience; what may scare one person might not be frightening at all to another, and what scares you one night might fall flat on a return visit. In addition, this season, like horror movie victims, we split up and did some individual haunt stalking so we will feature separate rankings from both Scare Zone ‘terrorspondents’ M. Leota and Matt E. Horn.

We visited a few great haunts across the country, so this year’s rankings will include haunts we visited in California, New York, and Florida. For a list of all the places we visited and to read our full reviews, please click here. Now, on to our 2012 Top Haunts   

To understand the ratings please see our ratings guide.

 

M. Leota’s Rankings

Best Maze Design:

  1. Blumhouse of Horrors
  2. Haunted Play Presents Delusion: The Blood Rite
  3. Trick or Treat (Knott’s Scary Farm)
Best Maze Theme:
  1. Trick or Treat (Knott’s Scary Farm)
  2. Blumhouse of Horrors
  3. La Llorona (HHN Hollywood)
Scariest Maze:
  1. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Saw is the Law (HHN Hollywood)
  2. Reign of Terror
  3. Sinister Pointe

Coolest Scene in a Maze:

  1. Blumhouse of Horrors – magician’s quarters
  2. Los Angeles Haunted Hayride: church
  3. Haunted Play Presents Delusion – Blood Rite: hallway/bathroom scene

Best Maze Name:

  1. Pinocchio: Unstrung (Knott’s Scary Farm)
  2. Deadrise (Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor)
  3. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Saw Is the Law (HHN Hollywood)

Best Scare-Actors/Monsters:

  1. The Haunted Play Presents: Delusion – Blood Rite
  2. Blumhouse of Horrors
  3. The Walking Dead: Dead Inside (HHN Hollywood)

Most Improved Maze (compared with  2011):

  1. Uncle Willy’s Slaughterhouse (Knott’s Scary Farm)
  2. Fallout Shelter (Knott’s Scary Farm)
  3. Terror of London (Knott’s Scary Farm)

Best Scare Zone:

  1. Ghost Town (Knott’s Scary Farm)
  2. Klownz (HHN Hollywood)
  3. Toyz (HHN Hollywood)

Most Unique Haunt Experience:

  1. Trapped (Knott’s Scary Farm)
  2. The Haunted Play Presents: Delusion – Blood Rite
  3. Blumhouse of Horrors

Best Value Haunt:

Knott’s Scary Farm

Best Maze of 2012:

Blumhouse of Horrors

Top 2012 Stand Alone Haunt

Blumhouse of Horrors

Top 2012 Theme Park Haunt

Knott’s Scary Farm

Matt E. Horn’s Rankings

Best Maze Design:

  1. Blumhouse of Horrors
  2. Alone (Howl O Scream)
  3. Tie: Dead End (HHN Orlando) & Gothic (HHN Orland0)
Best Maze Theme:
  1. Blumhouse of Horrors
  2. Pinocchio: Unstrung (Knott’s Scary Farm)
  3. Tie: Gothic (HHN Orlando) & Circus of Superstition (Howl O Scream Tampa) 
Scariest Maze:
  1. Gothic (HHN Orlando)
  2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Saw is the Law (HHN Hollywood)
  3. Sinister Pointe

Coolest Scene in a Maze:

  1. Blumhouse of Horrors – Finale magic act on main theater stage
  2. Alone – Stretching steel hallway with machete man (Howl O Scream Tampa)
  3. Gothic – Cathedral balcony overlooking the church (HHN Orlando)

Best Maze Name:

  1. Pinocchio: Unstrung (Knott’s Scary Farm)
  2. Deadrise (Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor)
  3. Times Scare

Best Scare-Actors/Monsters:

  1. Alone (Howl O Scream Tampa)
  2. The Haunted Play Presents: Delusion – Blood Rite
  3. Blumhouse of Horrors

Most Improved Maze (compared with  2011):

  1. Uncle Willy’s Slaughterhouse (Knott’s Scary Farm)
  2. Village of the Damned (Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor)
  3. Fallout Shelter (Knott’s Scary Farm)

Best Scare Zone:

  1. Ghost Town (Knott’s Scary Farm)
  2. Toyz (HHN Hollywood)
  3. Klownz (HHN Hollywood)

Most Unique Haunt Experience:

  1. The Haunted Play Presents: Delusion – Blood Rite
  2. Blumhouse of Horrors
  3. Tie: Alone (Busch Gardens) & Trapped (Knott’s Scary Farm)

Best Value Haunt:

Knott’s Scary Farm

Best Maze of 2012:

Blumhouse of Horrors

Top 2012 Stand Alone Haunt

Blumhouse of Horrors

Top 2012 Theme Park Haunt

Knott’s Scary Farm

Scare Zone’s Worst Rankings

This is where we load up the buried skulls and drive them off to the crematory. Of course, being in the world of horror, we’re aptly aware that not everything will die immediately or forever, but until the sequels here’s our call for the worse of 2012.

Worst Design

  1. All Haunted Hollywood Sports Mazes
  2. Terror Tram: Invaded by The Walking Dead (HHN Hollywood)
  3. Evil Dead (Knott’s Scary Farm)

Worst Theme

  1. All Haunted Hollywood Sports Mazes
  2. Tie: Virus Z (Knott’s Scary Farm) [Matt E. Horn] & Alice Cooper Goes to Hell [M. Leota]
  3. Terror Tram: Invaded by The Walking Dead (HHN Hollywood)

Least Scary Maze

  1. Tie: All-American Armageddon & Cannibal Caverns (Haunted Hollywood Sports)
  2. Penn & Tell New(KD) Vegas (HHN Orlando)
  3. Terror Tram: Invaded by The Walking Dead (HHN Hollywood)

Worse Value

  1. Haunted Hollywood Sports
  2. Haunted Grimm House (Orlando)
  3. Tie: Times Scare & L.A. Haunted Hayride

Worse Haunt of 2012

Haunted Hollywood Sports

2012 Repass

This year we observed that the Haunt industry is rapidly growing with more haunts (good, bad, or worse) opening up all over the country and with Theme Parks extending their haunt offerings and calendars between September and October. There’s also a growing popularity with the general public as we saw, and experienced, some of the biggest crowd attendance at haunts across the country. Haunting is really a   popular world-wide pastime now.

‘Stand Alone Haunts’ really set the bar this year, giving us some of favorite experiences this season. In the Southern California area we were very fortunate to have two very unique, celebrity produced, haunts that really impressed and scared us – Blumhouse of Horrors and Delusion: Blood Rite. Both of these attractions seamlessly combined storytelling, state-of-the-art effects and scares. They were able to give haunt stalkers  something fresh and scary instead of just relying upon the standard haunt formula. Other places like Sinister Pointe and Reign of Terror also expanded their respectively unique haunt experiences; making them some of our highest rated haunts of the year.

For the theme park haunts such as Halloween Horror Nights (both coasts) and Knott’s Scary Farm, it was pretty much business as usual. They are still fun and provide quite a few thrills. However, it seems that this year many of the themes were either commercial tie-ins or recycled/remixed themes. There’s no question that Knott’s has made a nice come back and in our opinion is back on top as the best theme park haunt. Universal still has some of the most elaborate mazes in the business at both of their parks but as an overall Halloween experience Knott’s couldn’t be beat this year. We hope that in the coming years the theme park haunts work to refine and create more original mazes that not only capture our imaginations (and wallets) but continue to push the boundaries of fear.

As we’ve said before, we take haunting and our earned dollars seriously, so we don’t have tolerance for the haunts that are more interested in taking people’s money than putting effort into a quality production. While some of our reviews may seem harsh or scathing we’re doing our best to provide the best information on where to spend your money. We realize that for many, they will only choose 1 or 2 haunts to visit so with more haunts to see we want to help you find the best one.  With that said, there were many high-quality haunts and mazes that didn’t make our top list, but they did offer a great time and good scares such as Howl-O Scream, Then Empty Grave, and Fear’s Gate. We also acknowledge all of the great haunts out there that we didn’t get to this season, like The Haunted Hotel, Coffin Creek, and Eli Roth’s Goretorium just to name a few.

We thank all our fellow Haunt Stalkers and Haunt reviewers for joining us on our 2012 scare-ventures. We appreciate all of you who shared your own experiences and ratings with us this season and throughout the year. We appreciate all your support and engagement with our site, and we look forward to having more scare-ventures together.

Scaringly yours,

M. Leota & Matt E. Horn

Co-Founders & Writers,  Scare Zone

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Posted in Florida, Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood, Haunt News, Haunt Reviews, Howl-O-Scream, Knott's Scary Farm, New York, Southern California, Terror Tips, Travel Terrors, Trip Report | No Comments »

Haunt Review: Times Scare NYC

Saturday, September 22nd, 2012

 

We began our haunt stalking with a trip to New York City, where we experienced Times Scare. This year-round haunted attraction is located in the heart of the city in the theatre district right off Broadway. Times Scare includes a Haunted House, a 300-seat theater featuring nightly performances by various guest “Shock Illusionists,” and the off-Broadway musical Silence!—a parody of the Silence of the Lambs. For guests 21 and older, Times Scare has two fully stocked, themed bars with signature cocktails and a lounge.

Times Scare opened its doors a year ago and is a Jason Egan Production, who is also the creator of the Fright Dome haunted attraction at Circus Circus in Las Vegas. In its first season, Times Scare was the NYC home of Michael Myers and featured two haunted houses combined into one with a journey into the psych ward at Haddonfield Memorial Hospital and then the Myers home itself. Now, it seems Michael has packed his bags and moved back to Haddonfield for Halloween, but the remnants of his past tenancy can still be found inside the haunted house—more on that a little later.

When we arrived, the Times Scare marquee sign was a big attention grabber, and upon entering the lobby, we were immediately transported from Times Square to the dark and Gothic setting of Times Scare.

For admission, they have various ticket options, including bundles for the haunted house and shows; however, on this night, we were interested only in the haunted house. As we began our purchase of the rather expensive $27 “haunt only” tickets, we inquired about additional discounts. As the woman in the ticket booth quickly swiped the credit card, she proceeded to tell us that they have monsters out in the street, a few blocks away, handing out 2-for-1 discounts. We asked her to honor the discount, but she said she could only give it with a coupon. Since it was raining, we weren’t in the mood to go roaming the streets of New York looking for monsters, which at that point could be like finding a needle in a haystack, but I digress. After paying the steep admission price, we only hoped that the haunt would be worth the money.

After purchasing our tickets, we climbed upstairs to the second floor, where a host dressed in a simple black shirt and jeans immediately began to warn us of the terrors we were about to experience. The host also shared some history of the building and its past life as a crematorium (cool). There’s even some of the old equipment on display. The staff was very friendly, and the host discreetly asked for the name of my cousin, who was haunt stalking with me that night, so they could be sure “to get her” inside the haunted house.

We ascended up to the 3rd floor, where the ceiling is covered with video monitors, which created a pretty cool visual. Upon arrival on the 3rd floor, there was a huge steel sliding door. Out of nowhere, a ghoul appeared, making a frightening entrance. He asked for our tickets and suddenly, the steel door slammed open and there was an army of monsters waiting behind a caged wall taunting us and screaming my cousin’s name. “Oh, this is going to be good!” we thought. After they took our tickets, the lights went out for a second, and when they came back on, all of the monsters were gone. The suspense had just went up another notch, and the ghoul told us to proceed inside.

Now we won’t give away the whole experience of what happens once you’re inside, as we do think Times Scare is worth a visit (with a 2-for-1 coupon, that is). What we will say is that the maze has some decent settings and very energetic scareactors. What we also liked was they didn’t just have the same scareactors running behind or in front of us as we went room to room; each scene had its own ghouls, maniacs, and creatures inside. They also kept calling my cousin’s name throughout. The best scareactor would have to be the chainsaw  creep who stared us down while waiting for us to timidly walk by his lair before he cranked up the saw and then chased us through 4 rooms in the middle of the house.

The overall theme was rather consistent: there were no clowns or aliens appearing in what seemed to be an insane asylum overrun by NYC’s craziest. They did have the Halloween theme song playing, but that music makes any setting scary, with or without Michael Myers present. There were also a couple high-grade animatronics, lighting, and sound scares.

The disappointing part was that the entire experience took us less than 10 minutes, and this brings us back to the price. Times Scare is a quality attraction worth seeing; however, it’s no Halloween Horror Nights or Howl-O-Scream per say. We understand year-round haunts struggle with their off-season appeal to the general market as well. So, to offer a quality experience, they need to make money to pay the bills. However, with the shows, bars, and cafe, they already have multiple money makers. What they should do is allow their victims multiple trips through the haunt, as this would also entice them to hang around longer at the bars and cafe which can really generate money.

If it weren’t for the steep admission price, we would have given it a higher rating, but that has to be factored into the overall value. And while they do have a good haunt, there’s nothing particularly original about it. We recommend that if you’re in New York City and have some time to kill, Times Scare is worth a visit. Just find the monsters in the street with coupons first!

Ratings:

  • Haunt Design: 2.5 skulls
  • Theming: 2.5 skulls
  • Scare Factor: 3.5 skulls
  • Fright Value: 1.5 skull

Overall Rating for Times Scare 2012: 2.5 skulls

Click here to read about our rating system

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Posted in Haunt Reviews, New York, Year-Round Haunts | No Comments »

TerrorVision: Creepy Haunt Commercials 2012

Tuesday, September 18th, 2012

The first day of fall is only 3 days away and the official haunt season is set to begin. The signs are everywhere with the days getting shorter and the nights longer. There’s candy overflowing in the grocery store aisles and Halloween stores are appearing on every corner. Now our favorite signs of haunt season are the commercials that are materializing for this year’s major theme park and local haunt attractions.

We think our fellow Haunt Stalkers would like to get into the spirit of the season with us so take a look at some this year’s best haunt commercials. In particular, we really love Knott’s Scary Farm’s 40th Haunt commercial and just can’t wait to see what they have in store this year. The U.S. versions of Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights share the same spots as do the other Cedar Fair theme parks, who all have a variation of the Cedar Point HalloWeekends spot. Howl-O-Scream’s commercials are creepy  and the Tampa Icon, Trickster, is one of the scariest haunt characters we’ve seen this season. The major local haunts have also put a good amount of production value into their commercials to scare us into coming… and you can bet we plan to go to as many as possible!

After you to watch these creepy commercials don’t forget to keep checking our Open Haunts 2012 page to get the latest info on haunts around the world (but mostly in America).

Knott’s Scary Farm

Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood

Halloween Horror Nights Orlando

Halloween Horror Nights Japan

Howl-O-Scream Tampa

Howl-O-Scream Williamsburg

HalloWeekends at Cedar Point

Sinister Pointe (CA)

Winchester Mystery House (San Jose, CA)

Six Flags Fright Fest (Nationwide)

Blood Manor NYC

Killers: A Nightmare Haunted House NYC

House of Torment (TX)

Goretorium (NV)

The Dent Schoolhouse (OH)

The Mortuary Haunted House (LA)

Jason’s Woods (PA)

Haunted Plantation (HI)

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Posted in Florida, Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood, Halloween Horror Nights Orlando, Haunt Videos, Horror Movies, Howl-O-Scream, Nevada, New York, Open Haunts, Screaming Soon, Southern California, Virginia, Year-Round Haunts | No Comments »

Headless Horseman Hayrides: 20 Years of NY Nightmares!

Wednesday, August 29th, 2012

Over the years our haunt stalking has taken us to across the country and beyond. One of  our familiar haunt destinations is New York  where we’ve been able to experience some of their renowned haunts. A favorite quote we heard while waiting in line at one of the New York haunts was “If you think New York is scary, you should see their haunts!”  This turned out to be true as the haunts in NY have a style all of their own. New Yorkers seem to have a tougher skin so in order to scare them these haunts have to pull out all the stops.  And they do, with scareactors that don’t hold back and who are not satisfied until they get a reaction out of everyone they terrorize. Knowing this, one of our favorite NY haunts to always visit is Headless Horseman Hayrides which is celebrating it’s 2oth anniversary this year!.

The 2012 hayride theme is “The Cult of the Horseman.” The 20th year haunted attraction celebration will also include the following mazes we’ve reviewed before such as :  The Lunar Motel, Glutton’s Slaughter House, The Root Cellar, Dark Harvest Corn Maze, Nightshade Greenhouse, The Feeding, Dahlia Blood’s Manor. In addition, new for 2012 is Dr Dark’s Black Spider Sideshow.

For the 20th Headless Horseman will be resurrecting many of the popular monsters that have haunted the grounds throughout the years: Butcher Joe, The Necromancer, The Bogeyman, Dr. Blight, Dr. Dark, Prisoner X, The Tooth Fairy, The Collectors, The Hollowmen and of course, The Headless Horseman!  In addition there will be a new Magic and Illusion Show, line actors, stilt walkers  and stunt performers.  With a sizzle reel for a new reality show in the can and the recently established American Made Monster Studios, 2012 is the year to celebrate!

So,our NY and East Coast Haunt Stalkers need to make sure they’ve prepared a 20th anniversary visit (and escape) from the Headless Horseman this coming haunt season.

2012 ATTRACTIONS

The Horseman's CultEvil Reaping - Dark HarvestThe Lunar Motel

Gluttons SlaughterhouseNight Shade Nursery and Greenhouse

Flesh They Crave - The FeedingBlood Inn - The Mansion of Dahlia Blood\Dr. Dark's Black Spider Sideshow

 Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted Houses

778 Broadway, Route 9W Ulster Park, NY 12487 845-339-2666
For more information email them at:
info@headlesshorseman.com

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Sea SAW

Monday, July 16th, 2012

Need a vacation away from the tortures of work, family, and the countless list of other annoying things? Then, take a summer cruise featuring all the tortures of the SAW movies.  It’s the only way for haunt stalkers to travel!

The horror of the SAW movies is taking to the waves during the “Official SAW Movie Cruise,” to be held August 11-16, 2012, aboard the cruise ship Carnival Glory. SAW cruisers will travel round-trip from New York to Canada’s Maritime Provinces. Fans of the SAW movies will find plenty to love on the Official SAW Cruise.

Every SAW Cruiser can meet, party and dine with stars of the SAW movies. Fans can take photos with many of their favorite actors including SAW franchise legend Costas Mandylor (“Hoffman”). In addition, Jigsaw’s “Puppet,” used and seen in the SAW movies, will be aboard and available for free photo opportunities.

Dan Yeager, who stars as “Leatherface” in the new movie Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D, will also be on the cruise – and everyone on the SAW cruise will get a free Dan Yeager autographed photo. This is Dan Yeager’s first official fan appearance, and he will be signing autographs and taking photos with fans during the entire cruise.

The five-night round-trip cruise leaves New York City on August 11 and includes stops at Saint John, N.B., and Halifax, N.S., plus two days at sea.

SAW cruisers can choose from three cruise packages, depending on the type of cabin (room) they select. Based on the package purchased, cruisers can receive access to the following events: private meals and cocktail parties with SAW actors, autograph signings with SAW actors, parties with the SAW stars, including an open bar; individual photos with SAW stars, question-and-answer sessions with SAW stars; pool and dance parties with SAW stars; a SAW tattoo contest judged by SAW stars; a SAW trivia contest, mini-golf and volleyball tournaments with SAW stars; and screenings of SAW movies.

All SAW cruisers receive a $50 shipboard credit per cabin applicable towards onboard purchases. All meals are included in the price of the SAW cruise, and food is available 24 hours a day. Cruisers will also have access at no extra charge to the shipboard amenities, including 22 lounges and bars, four pools (one with a 214-foot waterslide), nightclubs, a casino, spa, salon, gym, jogging track, miniature golf, duty-free shops, and restaurants, including a sushi bar, buffets, pizzeria, deli and steakhouse. Most of the ship’s extra spacious cabins (rooms) feature ocean views, and the majority of those boast private balconies.

This is the first Official SAW Cruise. The seven SAW Films from Twisted Pictures and Lionsgate are the most successful horror franchise in movie history.

For more information or to register for the Official SAW Cruise, visit www.SAWatSEA.com or call Boca Raton Travel & Cruises at: 800.326.1414. For all other SAW-related questions, contact Raybin Management, LLC, at: 203.661.4444, or email info@raybin.com.

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Posted in Haunted Happenings, Horror Movies, International Haunts, New York | No Comments »

Stalking The 2012 Haunt Conventions

Thursday, February 23rd, 2012

Here’s a list of this years’s Haunt Conventions across the country. Keep checking Scare Zone for further detailed updates and information. Only 6 months til Haunt Season!

TransWorld’s National Halloween & Haunted Attractions Show 

The haunted house industry’s own haunted house show will be held again in the America Center in St. Louis, Missouri on March 8-11.  Prepare for three jam packed days of over 100,000 square feet of haunted house products, amusement products, seminars, education, and haunt tours through one of America’s best haunted houses “The Darkness“. This is THE MAIN event of the year if you own or operate a haunted attraction, amusement park or any sort of amusement facilty. The show floor will showcase over 100 vendors from the Halloween and Haunted House industry!  Several entertain events are held, annual meetings for the Haunted House Association, tours through several haunted houses like The Darkness, The Lemp Brewery haunted house, and much more.

Canadian Haunters Convention

Held April 13-15 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Haunts from around Canada will visit this show to trade ideas, teach seminars and much more.

Monsterpalooza

April 13-15 in Burbank, Ca. This event is geared toward the horror film industry and fans. The convention focuses on “the art of monsters,” such as horror makeup, sculpture, and artwork. The show itself is not that big, but the presentations are always great. It’s a must-attend for anyone interested in horror makeup, art, and special effects. And of course, the presentations from horror makeup artists can be very useful for haunt actors and haunt makeup artists.

International Makeup Artist Trade Show

This is held in New York this April 14-15. Make-up artists, vendors, manufacturers and enthusiasts convene for the make-up world’s biggest gathering to discuss, display, discover and collect the best the industry has to offer.

HauntCon

HauntCon travels each year to a different city so that attendees can visit haunted houses around the country. Hauntcon is held each year in the month of May 3- May 7. This years show will be held in Monroeville Convention Center in Monroeville, PA (Pittsburgh). The tradeshow floor is smaller but with some really cool haunt vendors with cool products on display.  These shows (MHC, HAUNTCON, etc) do not offer the sheer amount of vendors and massive tradeshow displays as the Transworld Haunt does however because of their cheaper booth prices it opens the doors to smaller up and coming vendors. This year’s haunt nightly haunt tours include Fright Farm, Hundred Acres Manor, and Haunted Hills Estate.

National Haunters Convention (Philadelphia, Pennslvania)

This years event will be held May 4-6 in Philadelphia and will feature a tradeshow floor, haunt tours, and seminars. The show leans more towards local enthusiasts and home haunters than professional haunted house owners.  Because there are so many haunts in the area the show planners are able to offer tours through some of the best haunts in the nation.

Steele City Paracon

May 11-13 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Join the members of Ghost Hunters, Paranormal State, and Monster Quest  for the “Steel City Paracon,” a conference on the paranormal. Tickets are now on sale for the very intimate event–only 200 tickets will be available. The cost is $199 and includes entrance to the seminars, lectures, and networking events. With such a limited number of tickets, we recommend purchasing soon!

West Coast Haunters Convention

June 1-3 in Salem, OR.  Haunters can gather to learn new tips and trade ideas. This year’s show is expanded and will located in Portland Oregon this year at the DoubleTree hotel and expo center. The show will also feature a local haunt tour and Scare Zone plans to be in attendance here.

Great Lakes Fright Fest

June 1-3 in Petersburg, MI. This is another small haunters gathering with a focus on Michigan haunts events include demos, door prizes and events for kids of all ages. This year will include a charity driven Haunted House put on by the convention itself.

Midwest Haunters Convention

MHC is held in Columbus, Ohio June 8-10. Learn from many other haunted house owners, actors and more. The show somewhat leans towards the home haunts and enthusiasts more so than just the professional haunt owners; however, the show features a ton of vendors and events for both home and professional haunters. They’re also  hosting two bus tours: An All Day Paranormal Bus Tour and An Evening Haunt Bus Tour.

Tides of Torture

The “Tides of Torture” cruise (not related in any way to the torturous Ghost Ship haunt), will set sail for the Caribbean on August 27-31. This will be the inaugural cruise for the convention focused on horror movies rather than haunts. Some of the celebrities joining in the mayhem include Doug Bradley from Hellraiser, convention regular Kane Hodder (Jason in Friday the 13th parts 7-10), Tony Todd aka Candyman, and others.

IAAPA Attractions Expo

November 12-16. The IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) show is the biggest amusement show on the entire planet held every year in Orlando. The show is over 750,000 square feet and offer over 1000 vendors.  On average there are about 100 haunt related vendors to choose from. Additionally IAAPA has been producing haunted house seminars each year at their event.

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Posted in Canada, Conventions, Florida, Haunt News, Haunted Happenings, Horror Movies, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Screaming Soon | No Comments »

13 Haunt Stalking Destinations for 2012

Sunday, January 8th, 2012

It’s a  new year so it’s time to start planning our 2012 haunt stalking. With the haunt industry booming, there’s going to be even more ‘scare-tivities’ to endure… err enjoy in the new year. Looking at our past experiences and the highly anticipated haunt events of  the new year, we’ve complied a list of 13 haunt destinations for 2012. So count up those frequent flier miles, put in for vacation time and keep your resolutions to set out on some terrifying travels. Remember this may be the last year any of us will get to haunt stalk.

 

1. Friday the 13th Haunts: Friday the 13th occurred only once in 2010 and ’11. However, this year, we get 3 unlucky Fridays in January, April and July! A few haunts will be open this month on Friday the 13th and we only hope that even more will be open during the other ‘Friday the 13th’ dates to give us some continuous mid season scares.

2. Valentine’s Weekend Haunts: More haunts are sharing the fiendish love with special openings Valentines weekend. Here are a few of  the top haunts offering Valentine’s day massacres: Sinister Pointe (Brea, CA), Moxley Manor (Bedford, TX) and Blood Manor (New York, NY)

3. TransWorld Haunt Show (March 8-11, St. Louis, MO): For the last 16 years, TransWorld’s annual Halloween & Attractions Show has been a “must attend” event in the Halloween & Haunt industries. This year is no exception! This is the only trade show that features vendors, from across the nation and overseas, that cover every aspect of the business, from ticketing to makeup and sound FX to giant animatronics. In addition, local St. Louis Haunts open their doors to attendees. If you are a pro haunter (want to become one) or a True Blood haunt stalker, you cannot afford to miss this event.

4. Monsterpalooza (April 13-15, Burbank, CA): This is an annual convention featuring Hollywood’s award winning FX Artists, Monster and Horror related art work displays, presentations and special guests from horror and Sci-Fi. For us the highlight is the Walk-thru Monster Museum!

5. HauntCon (May 3-7, Monroeville, PA *Pittsburgh): We attended this event last year and believe it’s worth a visit if you’re a haunter or stalker living on the east coast. This is the first year HAuNTcon will be in a convention center rather than a hotel in Monoroeville, PA which just happens to be next to the Monroeville Mall, most famous for its appearance in the George A. Romero horror film Dawn of the Dead.

6. Midwest Haunters Convention (June 8-10, Columbus Ohio):  This is the largest Halloween show of its kind in the US serving a primary audience of Haunted Attraction Producers, Actors, Artists and Home Haunters.  It provides regional businesses and residents the opportunity to shop for professional quality Halloween related products along with educational seminars and workshops and networking activities for haunted attraction industry professionals. Of course, the main reason to go is for the world’s largest haunted attraction bus tour.

299641 10150421988157110 525162109 10813190 1431436499 n 1 Tides of Torture: Worlds 1st Horror Con at Sea

7.  Tides of Torture (Dates TBD): We know that seeing Kathie Lee Gifford in a bikini could be scary enough, but this Caribbean cruise promises even more terrors at sea. This cruise convention will feature a Fangoria-sponsored film festival and some of your favorite horror actors including Jason actor Kane Hodder who really enjoys being on a boat.

8. London (UK) Haunts: Last year our friends at Theme Park Tourist shared some great reviews of the UK haunts and with the 2012 Olympics taking place this summer in London we highly recommend the trip over the bloody pond to experience their renowned year round and seasonal haunted attractions.

9. New York Haunts: We now know why this is the city that never sleeps. It’s because everyone is having nightmares! NYC boasts some of the nation’s most extreme haunts and offers haunts in unique metropolitan locations all the way out to the dark woods of Sleepy Hollow in upstate. This is a “not to be missed” destination during the fall.

10. Pennsylvania  Haunts: While in NY, you might as well head down to PA as well. Pennsylvania is home to some of he nation’s most highly rated haunted attractions including; Jason’s Woods, Bates Motel, and Field of Screams just to name a few.

11. Texas Haunts: Texas is a big state which provides a lot of room for haunts. Throughout the year and especially during haunt season Haunt Stalkers can find a haunt (or two or three…) in nearly every town with the Dallas-Forth Worth area and Austin leading  the terror with their renowned haunts such as Cutting Edge, Hangman’s House of Horrors, and House of Torment.

12. Central Florida Haunts: If you’re a fan of haunts and Theme Parks then Central Florida is the destination for you. While there are only 2 major haunts, Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights and Howl O Scream at Busch Gardens; these 2 offer more than enough mazes and scares to make for a satisfying trip.

13. Southern California Haunts: From Hollywood down to San Diego; Southern California offers just about every kind of haunt experience a haunt stalker would want. There are first class Theme Park haunts, hayrides, stand alone professional haunts, boat haunts, and impressive home haunts. You’ll need to plan at least a week long visit, covering two weekends, in order to sample some of the SoCal’s top haunts.

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Posted in Conventions, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Florida, Haunted Happenings, Howl-O-Scream, New York, Pennsylvania, Southern California, St. Louis, Terror Tips, Texas, Travel Terrors, UK, Valentine's Day Haunts | No Comments »

NYC NIGHTMARE (Before Christmas): The Experiment

Saturday, December 3rd, 2011

The new trend of Holiday Haunts is all the rage. Now the twisted creators of NYC NIGHTMARE  are loading up their Christmas ‘slay’ and bringing to town a special Holiday Haunt experience called The Experiment. Given that Christmas has managed to creep it’s way into stores before Haunt Season even begins, it’s only fair that now Haunt Season bleeds over into Christmas. Guess this is what derives as Holidays continue to collide.

Psycho Clan, producers of NIGHTMARE, New York’s most horrifying haunted house and AOL CityGuide’s No. 1 rated haunted attraction in NYC have announced that they will expand the sensory assaulting theatre experience THE EXPERIMENT into an off–Broadway run on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. A special holiday version of NIGHTMARE (BEFORE CHRISTMAS): THE EXPERIMENT will run December 9 through December 23, 2011 at Los Kabayitos Laboratorio at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center, 107 Suffolk Street between Rivington and Delancey.

Studies have shown that the anxiety of the holiday season, coupled with seasonal depression, heightens the neurotransmitters associated with feelings of fear. The Psycho Clan experimental division plans on exploiting those levels of fear for an adrenaline rushing 50 minutes of twisted holiday pleasure, with NIGHTMARE (BEFORE CHRISTMAS): THE EXPERIMENT. The event was originally part of this year’s haunted house as a second attraction, but due to its popularity, has been expanded and will return for a horrifying Christmas spectacular that’s able to amplify what it did in its previous installment and experiment on the whole audience in a terrifying (and entertaining) examination into the limits of fear.

“Christmas is supposed to be a joyful time. For too many, it just isn’t. If you don’t always feel joy during the holidays, a good scare will trigger those senses,” says Co-Director Timothy Haskell. “The same endorphins that are released during moments of joy and pleasure are the same ones coursing through your nervous system during times of great fright. So let fear ignite your holiday spirit!”

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