As Halloween nears, choosing which haunted house to visit could be at the top of your to-do list. Here are a few key factors you should keep in mind when making this important decision.
Research the attraction ahead of time to ensure it suits your fright level and don’t hesitate to object if any themes or scare tactics cause discomfort.
The Headless Horseman
The Headless Horseman is a character that makes an annual reappearance every Halloween and can be seen in several books and movies. He is thought to be the ghost of a Hessian soldier decapitated during the American Revolution who now haunts Sleepy Hollow; with many characteristics that make him both realistic and supernatural at once he makes for an intimidating sight indeed!
Washington Irving first introduced The Horseman into his short story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, published in 1820. This tale tells of a mysterious rider riding an evil black horse named Sleepy Hollow who terrorizes its residents.
Though The Horseman is fictional, his story seems grounded in reality. Local residents recall Hessian soldiers being decapitated during the American Revolution by cannon fire.
Frightmare Manor
Frightmare Manor in Morristown offers more than just haunted houses; it’s an authentic Screampark! Spanning 20 acres, Frightmare Manor features multiple, independent Haunted Attractions as well as the Lexer Jump, an immersive free-fall ride. If you complete all Haunted Attractions and complete the Nightmare Challenge successfully, you get your money back! Located on blood-soaked property belonging to America’s earliest serial killer – America’s very first serial killer – Frightmare Manor may not be for faint-of-heart! Featuring America’s earliest serial killer’s haunted mansion is not for those faint of heart – this Morristown haunted house will test you to your limits – this Morristown haunted house won’t leave them unscathed!
Frightmare Manor’s haunted house utilizes all five senses, from flooring texture and rancid smells, to professional special effects and costuming that makes its characters come to life – it has even been featured in national haunted house publications! All these factors come together to make Frightmare Manor one of the top haunted houses by local news media! With such quality features like these it’s no wonder it has received national acclaim as the “Best Haunted House”
Nightmare Dollhouse
If you love being terrified, a well-crafted horror house can be one of the best ways to experience that thrill. Not only will it help release pent-up stress and fear, but you can do it together with friends!
Psycho Clan, known for Full Bunny Contact and Santastical on the Lower East Side as well as last year’s Nightmare Haunted House at Teatro SEA on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, have created Nightmare Dollhouse: their latest horror extravaganza presented in conjunction with ETR Ventures and written and directed by Timothy Haskell.
Beginning October 13 and running until Halloween at Teatro SEA @ the Clemente on Suffolk Street on the Lower East Side. Tickets are strictly limited for this limited engagement – book yours here now.
Terror Behind the Walls
Eastern State Penitentiary’s haunted house consistently ranks as one of the country’s premier haunted attractions, boasting six interior attractions with more than 200 actors, state-of-the-art animatronics, and Hollywood-quality sets.
Visitors will experience crawling, sliding, climbing and traversing moving floors as they meet characters such as a chainsaw-wielding machine shop worker, polka-dotted ghouls and the murderous barber – each actor is engaging and ready to scare!
Visitors will also find themselves immersed in an immersive 3D maze, where guests wear 3D glasses in anticipation that anything might pop out from around any corner.
A Petrified Forest
Anyone visiting Central Florida during Halloween should make time to stop in Altamonte Springs to visit A Petrified Forest – its quaint but hugely impressive attraction rivals any of those found along Interstate 4.
There are three terrifying scare trails set within an eerily creepy forest environment of approximately two acres, each offering its own story and amazing scares at every turn.
They offer an exciting stagecoach photo op and vendor area that add to the overall theme of the event, as well as Special Needs Night on Wednesday nights where their haunted trails are less intense so guests can move at their own pace through them.
