Joined: Aug 2009 Posts: 3 Location: Arlington, TEXAS
Re: Haunted Blood Drive -update « Result #1 on Nov 16, 2009, 8:18am »
Haunted Blood drive update: The Carter Blood Center extended the Blood drive for five nights during the event. A total of 227 people signed up to donate blood. Everyone that took park in the Blood drive received a free Haunted House ticket and T-Shirt. http://www.theboneyard.org/pictures.php
Bill Tracy Updated Biography « Result #2 on Oct 29, 2009, 3:17pm »
The Bill Tracy Project is pleased to announce the upcoming release of a brand new biography, containing never-released information about Bill Tracy, for our one-year anniversary! The new in-depth biography, consisting of 12 parts, will also include numerous photos from Tracy’s early years, including his involvement in building parade floats. Be sure to stop by on Halloween to read about Tracy’s complete journey in the amusement and dark ride industry...you won't be disappointed!!!
New Season For Night Of Terror « Result #4 on Oct 8, 2009, 7:41pm »
hey everyone, well octobers here, and its a new haunt season! if anyones around mullica hill, nj i urge you to give our hayride and haunted houses a try! everythings been revamped for the new season, with two new attrations! 3d funhouse and pirates revenge. also the hayride was revamped for the 2009 season, and updated haunted houses await! come check us out! you can get all the info here... www.nightofterror.com
Combining the energy and glamour of a world-class nightclub with the spectacle and illusion of the theater, Purgatorio will offer an interactive Halloween experience unlike anything seen before in New York nightlife.
Adults 21 and over will be immersed in a multi-level world of macabre fantasy complete with interactive variety acts and installations, all set in a dynamic environment that is at once frightening, erotic and whimsical.
There’s nothing typical about this nightclub. Dance, drink, and party with the undead at Club Purgatorio and see what indulgences await you on the other side.
Eerie corners and horrific scenes of blood curdling fright await all who enter their local haunted houses during the 2009 Halloween season. Haunted houses have now become bigger than anyone could have ever imagined with some haunted attractions bigger than entire football fields and costing millions of dollars to produce. The haunted house industry is a multi-million dollar industry with major vendors like Scarefactory, Distortions, Ghost Ride and so many more who provide innovative animations, special effects, costumes, and products. This is an evolved industry from simple blood and guts scares to now real life versions of a top dollar Hollywood horror movie experience.
Haunted attractions have gotten so big that most major attraction owners no longer need to hold full time jobs to make ends meet. They’ve quit their normal 9-5 job and now work year round on their haunted houses, pushing the boundaries to make America scream. In this day and age of high tech movies, video games, and interactive entertainment, the Halloween Attraction industry has had to take its game to new FRIGHTS! For decades America celebrated October by carving pumpkins, taking their kids trick-or-treating, or taking in a Hollywood horror movie to get their scream on. Today things have changed. Visiting a local haunted house is NOW the traditional way to celebrate the Halloween season. Sure parents still take their kids trick-or-treating, but adults who were mere teenagers when the haunted house industry blossomed 10 or 15 years ago are still visiting haunted houses today, along with a new generation of haunted scream fans.
Haunted Houses have more guest attendance than ever before to the tune of over ONE BILLION DOLLARS. In comparison, Hollywood movies gross 9 billion annually. Yet the Halloween Attractions industry, in only one month can gross 1/9 that of the movie industry’s annual intake…WOW! Aside from haunted houses, the Halloween Attraction industry also includes corn mazes, pumpkin patches, hayrides, amusement parks and even zoos that celebrate with Halloween events and attractions.
Scream seekers want LIVE action. They want to feel the sensations of being stalked of being terrified. They want to literally feel fear as it wells up in their throats and experience it live. No horror movie, no roller coaster, nothing you could experience could replace the sensations you will experience this year inside a haunted house!
Every season Hauntworld Magazine and Hauntworld.com (the World’s #1 Halloween and Haunted House website providing haunt-seekers annually with the most comprehensive haunt directory on the web) produces a top 13 list to find some of the best haunted houses in America. Make no mistake, those haunts on our lists are not the only scary haunted houses in America. There are haunts we have not yet experienced or discovered, but our lists change every year as we learn more about new haunted houses near you! We rely on our users and guests of our website to point us to new haunted houses and Halloween Attractions. Some perhaps we’ve never seen nor heard of prior. Others could be new haunts preparing for their first year of fear. If you know about an awesome haunted house near you TELL US, WRITE US, we want to know what makes your local haunted house one of America’s best haunted attractions. We encourage EVERYONE to find a haunted house NEAR YOU, not necessarily ones simply listed on our annual Hauntworld Top 13 Lists.
Use Hauntworld.com to shop by state for haunted houses near you. The home page, interactive map of North America will assist you to find over 2,000 unique haunted attractions from haunted hayrides, haunted woods, haunted trails, haunted mazes, corn mazes, and more!!! Now we present you with our annual guide to some of America’s Best Haunted Attractions 2009!
If you know of a haunted house we should review and rate for our 2009 list feel free to email us. Lastly remember this is NOT the only best haunts in America, make sure you visit a local haunted house near you by using our Haunt Directory located on the Front page of www.Hauntworld.com.
HAUNTWORLD TOP 13 HAUNTED HOUSES LIST / Top 31 Haunts One Haunt For Everyday in October
1. 13th Gate Haunted House – Baton Rouge, Louisiana, www.midnightproduction.com. 13th Gate haunted house is rated once again as the best haunted house in America two years running by Hauntworld.com, because this haunt has it all. Not many haunted houses in America have the level of detail, set design, incredible Hollywood makeup artists, special effects, all rolled up into one big massive scream factory! 13th Gate delivers on all levels and guarantees all who enter 13 levels of fear and fright.
2. Netherworld Haunted House – Atlanta, Georgia, www.fearworld.com. Netherworld is one of those haunted houses that take live actors to a new FRIGHT. Netherworld is one of the few haunted houses that dedicate an army of monsters to scare patrons while they wait in line and hundreds more waiting for you to enter the door. Netherworld has more giant monsters than the island Godzilla lives on! Netherworld is a haunt you do NOT want to miss!
3. The Beast – Kansas City, Missouri, www.kcbeast.com. The Beast Haunted House, one of the biggest and best indoor haunted attractions in the nation, spans FIVE FLOORS of fear with set design, ghost illusions, and detail to match the largest big-budget movies out there. The Beast is simply a ‘beast’ of a haunted house packing so much terror into an enormous building large enough for 10 typical haunted houses. You’ll be asking yourself, “Will this nightmare ever end?”
4. The Darkness Haunted House – St. Louis, Missouri, www.scarefest.com. The Darkness is a powerhouse haunted house with Hollywood quality special effects, live actors, hundreds of animations, and amazing set design detailed throughout two floors of fright. New for 2009, The Darkness now includes a secondary attraction, Terror Visions in 3D, which many in the haunt industry deem as the best 3D haunt ever created. Also included is a Hollywood Horror Museum.
5. House of Torment – Austin, Texas, www.houseoftorment.com. House of Torment (HOT) is a haunted house Hauntworld discovered back in 2008 and featured on the cover of our magazine. HOT brings you an unmatched in-your-face FEAR and takes it to new horrific heights with icon monsters, over the top marketing, edgy scenes and blood-curdling screams!
6. Dent Schoolhouse – Cincinnati, Ohio, www.frightsite.com. The Dent Schoolhouse is new to our top 13 list and we’ve discovered a goldmine of FEAR with this one! The Dent Schoolhouse features incredible story telling, horrific set design, and amazing fright inside one of the creepiest buildings for a haunted house. Was that a costumed monster or the haunting of a REAL ghost?
7. Bates Motel – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, http://www.thebatesmotel.com. The Bates Motel is more than just a haunted house. It’s a major league SCREAM PARK with detailed haunted houses and a massive haunted hayride that’s sure to have you screaming in fear! Bates Motel is quite well known for its haunted hayride featuring the most amazing pyrotechnics ever included in a haunt!
8. Haunted Schoolhouse – Akron, Ohio, www.hshlab.com. The Haunted Schoolhouse and Lab is the oldest running haunted house in America with over 30 years under their belt! Haunted houses nationwide revel at their longevity. The Haunted Schoolhouse features five floors of sheer terror and offers some of the best set design we’ve ever seen! The Haunted Schoolhouse is sure to boggle the mind and give you the ultimate creeps!
9. Bayville Screampark – Long Island, New York, www.bayvillescreampark.com. Bayville Screampark features the best outdoor façade of any haunted house we’ve ever seen. The façade to Bayvilles main haunted house was designed and created by major production companies, at installed at a cost of several hundred thousand dollars and that’s only the façade. Bayville Screampark is owned and operated by the same company which owns Jekyll and Hyde Restaurant in New York. Bayville Screampark features 5 haunted houses from a mansion, 3D clown maze, haunted forest and much more.
10. House of Shock – New Orleans, Louisiana, www.houseofshock.com. House of Shock isn’t simply the most controversial haunted house in America but it’s also one of the best haunted houses in America. House of Shock features the most elaborate pryo stage show before you enter what might be the most intense haunted house you’ve ever experienced.
11. Dead Acres – Columbus, Ohio, www.deadacres.com. This makes our list as the absolute most insane haunted house in America and probably the craziest website to boot! This haunted house comes after you with everything they got. They never let up. And, the actors are just as intense as the theme, set design and special effects. For an experience like no other in America visit Dead Acres this Halloween season!
12. Headless Horseman – Ulster Park, New York, www.headlesshorseman.com. Headless Horseman is a force not to be reckoned with. It includes one of THE BEST haunted hayrides in America where the Headless Horseman himself chases you over an old rickety bridge! Also included in this massive Halloween event are haunted houses, a cornfield maze, gift stores and so much more. Headless Horseman is nestled on an old eerie farm providing an authentic Halloween experience that’s sure to terrify all who enter.
13. Graystone Manor - Killen, Alabama, www.graystonemanor.net. When your local haunted house is located in a town named Killen, you know you’re in for the fright of your life, and Graystone Manor does not disappoint! Graystone Manor is an amazing haunted house with horrific actors, intense scares, awesome detail, sets, and animations! Get down to Killen, Alabama and let the killing begin!
The List Doesn't End There... `14th through 31st listed below: Turn the number 13 around and you come up with 31 so the list goes on to list the rest of the top rated haunted houses in America. There are 31 DAYS in October so we list our best haunts for each day in October.
Best Scream Parks / Haunted Hayrides in America 2009 by Hauntworld.com A Scream Park style haunted attraction is kind of like an outdoor shopping mall of haunts. They typically include several haunts at one large outdoor location with a possible combination of haunted hayrides, haunted midways, sideshows, trails, corn mazes and more. Most offer their entire package of horror for one low price.
Best Places in America to get SCARED Are You looking to find the scariest places on Earth to get scared? Find our list of America's Scariest places listed by Hauntworld.com below.
1. Salem, Massachusetts www.salem.org. Salem is the best place in AMERICA to get scared because Salem has more haunted houses, ghost stories, witch museums, and Halloween events than any place in America! Salem is our hands down pick to visit if you love Halloween!
2. Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada www.cliftonhill.ca. Niagara Falls has more haunted houses in one area than anywhere in the continent. Several haunts are found up and down the old Clifton Hills. Even the wax museum has a makeshift haunt s as part of the show. Plus, not far from Niagara Falls is Buffalo, New York which has even more haunted attractions like Fright World, House of Horrors, Haunted Catacombs and more.
3. Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, California, www.winchestermysteryhouse.com. This mystery house is filled with endless rooms. Turn off the lights and try to find your way out. Legend has it that ghosts inspired the original owner to keep building onto this house, the house that never ends.
4. New Orleans, Louisiana. Visit New Orleans and see some of the scariest graveyards in America with crypts, voodoo shops and YES several haunted houses too! House of Shock and 13th Gate Haunted House are sure to please, but another nearby haunt is located in a REAL mortuary. Check out The Mortuary Haunted House at www.themortuary.net.
5. Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Kentucky www.therealwaverlyhills.com. This place looks so scary, you might just second guess stepping even one foot inside the door. They offer real ghost tours and an elaborate haunted attraction in October. Several people have actually died in this place, and I don’t doubt for a second it’s filled to the brim with actual ghosts!
Top 10 Amusement Park Halloween Haunted Events Amusement parks are now full blown into the Haunted House business putting on some of the biggest haunted events in America, but some amusement parks do haunting better than the rest. Most amusement parks we’ve found do a half hearted effort to produce a haunted event in an attempt to extend the amusement season. However, some take it to another level; some amusement parks put real fear into their Halloween attractions. Here is our list of the best amusement parks producing a Halloween event this October 2009.
Re: Haunted Tales Spirit Theater in Atlantic City « Result #7 on Sept 9, 2009, 3:17pm »
Attraction seeks to scare folks back to Atlantic City
By STEVEN LEMONGELLO
ATLANTIC CITY - The Jersey Devil lives! Sort of.
The legendary creature appears at Haunted Tales on the Atlantic City Boardwalk, an old-time haunted house theater that owner Russ Eisle and his wife, Donna Marie, created as a throwback to shore family attractions of the past.
"My wife and I went down to the Boardwalk, and we were looking at the same stores over and over," Eisle said. "There was nothing for families on the Boardwalk."
Having grown up in Margate, Eisle had fond memories of the old Brigantine Castle haunted house, which operated in its namesake city from 1976 to 1985 and burned down in 1987.
"We tried to do something that would incorporate some of the Brigantine Castle into a smaller venue," he said.
To give Haunted Tales a local flavor, he and his wife incorporated area folklore into the storyline. Lucy Johannson Leeds - or at least her ghost - is heard telling her tale of becoming the mother of an accursed 13th child, the Jersey Devil. Later, a local pirate, Capt. Beaumont, is heard weaving his tale of buried treasure.
Building the set took much longer than anticipated - "Too long," Eisle said. "We thought it would be done in two months, but it probably took seven" - and was decorated with antiques acquired at several local shops and flea markets.
The effects are mostly done with air, as in the old days, so the theater set took a little while to warm up when Eisle turned it on at noon Saturday. Once it starts up, the set is a constantly moving animated display, with bursts of air and water and "sea foam" designed to scare the audience at precise points in the story. For example, a grim reaper statue squirts water on passersby while "Granny" rocks maniacally in her chair.
The effects reach a boiling point as Mrs. Leeds talks about how she gave birth to the Devil - making it one of the more dramatic descriptions of childbirth you'll probably ever experience. Hopefully.
Eisle also has a store where he sells ghost- or pirate-related merchandise.
Eisle said many visitors like to come back at night to get the full scary experience - although, as he pointed out, it's always dark in the theater. Others did not seem as interested, such as the woman who exited the store to tell her husband that whatever her interest, "I'm not going to pay $7 to see it."
"The store's been doing great," said Eisle, when asked how the theater's business has fared.
There is one attraction that's completely free, however. Make sure to stop into the store to check out the rare white bat. You won't be disappointed.
America’s Best Haunts, the nation’s eminent authority on thrill attractions, has released the official list of top haunts for 2009.
As professionals of the scare, America’s Best Haunts evaluated haunted attractions from coast to coast to select 12 of the best of the best to wear its coveted seal. Utilizing a panel of thrill park industry experts, top haunts from across the U.S. were thoroughly analyzed before being honored as one of this year’s eerie elite. Each attraction was judged on creepy criteria including special effects, marketing, consumer value, design, actor ability, fear factor and safety.
In 2008, more than 26 million Americans flocked to haunted attractions, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). Haunts have ratcheted up the fright factor with animatronics and digital sound mixed with the traditional “fear in your face” scare tactics. With Halloween consumer spending growing to nearly $6 billion last year (NRF), thrill-seekers continue to want more and are willing to pay for it. Thrill attraction ticket prices across America reportedly now range from $15 to $65. “The haunt business is a boon to the economy as Halloween bridges the gap between back-to-school and holiday season sales,” said Steve Kopelman of America’s Best Haunts. “Our team of haunt experts takes their jobs seriously when it comes to naming America’s best. Haunted attractions that wear our stamp of approval provide sophisticated fright fans with Hollywood-style design, acting, production and more.”
The America’s Best Haunts 2009 top thrill attractions include:
Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Penitentiary (Philadelphia, PA)
Billed as a haunted house inside a state prison, this lost world of crumbling cellblocks and empty guard towers stands behind the Eastern State Penitentiary’s massive 30-foot high walls. This is home to Terror Behind the Walls, ranked the “Number 1 Haunted House in the U.S.” by AOL City Guide, and labeled “perfect for Halloween” by the New York Times. http://www.TerrorBehindTheWalls.com
Bennett’s Curse (Baltimore, MD)
Featuring the Legendary House of the Vampyres, Bennett’s Curse is the only medieval vampire knight themed haunted house in the world. Original scenes, enthusiastic actors, and state of the art special effects combine to create an unforgettable experience that will keep you screaming for more. http://www.bennettscurse.com
Screampark (Lexington, KY) New Comer of the Year
Kentucky’s largest fear factory features three terrifying attractions, live events and more maniacal monsters than you care to meet under one roof. Screampark brings detailed sets, nightmarish monsters and high-tech scares to the “Heart of the Bluegrass”. http://www.scarylexington.com
The Terror Test (Lumberton, MS)
Mississippi’s largest haunted attraction includes Hollywood movie quality props, realistic sets, state of the art special effects and authentic costumes. Horror hounds will experience three eerie attractions under one roof that will frighten even the bravest of souls. http://www.terrortest.com
The 13th Door (Denver, CO)
What begins as an informative tour of a local historical site soon turns into terror as you are swept through time to relive the horrors of the famed Barrington Hotel Massacre. As events unfold, you soon learn that your only path of escape is through a mysterious 13th Door. Chased from one gruesome scene to the next, you quickly discover that your life is in very real jeopardy. http://www.13Door.com
ScreamWorld (Houston, TX)
Since 1989, ScreamWorld has been the premier home for horror in Houston with three haunted houses, an outdoor maze, a cemetery, and roaming creepy characters. Continually named Houston’s No. 1 Haunted Attraction by both the Houston Chronicle and the Houston Press, ScreamWorld provides the most mayhem for the money to its 30,000 annual guests. http://www.ScreamWorld.com
Nightmare New England (Litchfield, NH)
This year, New England’s legendary Spookyworld joins Nightmare New England to forge one of the largest and most terrifying Halloween Scream Parks in the country. The scale and variety of this mega-park offers something to thrill even the boldest of Halloween fanatics. Nightmare New England and Spookyworld feature seven terrifying haunted attractions and a “Monster Midway” where dozens of freakish characters freely roam the grounds and lurk around every corner. http://www.nightmarenewengland.com
Woods of Terror (Greensboro, NC)
What began as a mere haunted trail 18 years ago, is now one of the leading and top ranked haunted attractions in the U.S. Today, a staggering 20,000 visitors a year – young and old, from near and far – pay to roam 20 acres of pure terror while seeking the thrill of the ultimate adrenaline rush: fear. http://www.woodsofterror.com
Thrillvania (Terrell, TX)
Located 20 miles east of Dallas, Thrillvania is one of the most decorated haunted attractions in the world. With 50 acres encompassing eight attractions, a midway and a haunted store, Thrillvania frightens more than 20,000 “victims” each year. The cornerstone of this fear farm is Verdun Manor, a two-story haunted house originally designed by Disney Imagineers and said to boast more props per square foot than any other haunt in the country. http://www.Thrillvania.com
The Terrorfest (Columbus, OH)
Formerly the critically-acclaimed “House of Nightmares” haunted house, The Terrorfest has had fear facelift. With a new, more terrorizing theme, diabolically-detailed sets, state of the art effects and a core of more than 60 dedicated actors, The Terrorfest is destined to bring a new level of haunting excellence to the Columbus brewery district. http://www.TheTerrorFest.com
The House of Horrors and Haunted Catacombs (Buffalo, NY)
Known for scaring the yell out of you, The House of Horrors has zombies, demons, vampires, psycho killers, and the living dead creeping around every corner. Celebrating its 17th season, the Haunted Catacombs guarantees fear-in-your-face special effects, amazing animations, and Hollywood-style sets that will have make your jaw drop and your heart race. http://www.thehouseofhorrors.com
Terror on the Fox (Greenbay, WI)
The terror continues at Wisconsin’s premier thrill attraction as it celebrates its 13th season. With four haunts from an asylum to the pitch-dark void, the torment is pure torture. Terror on the Fox is sure to put you on the edge when you discover you are virtually trapped inside yourself. http://www.terroronthefox.com
About America’s Best Haunts:
Established in 2006, Americas Best Haunts is the only expert resource of its kind, identifying the most superior haunted attractions in the country for today’s discerning fright lovers.
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