Remember when a haunted house meant going blindfolded into a church basement and sticking your hand into a box filled with squishy stuff that you thought were intestines?
No? Well, ask your grandparents, because, back in the day, that was what constituted a haunted house. And the intestines? Spaghetti.
Today, even church and civic groups do a better job of scaring, but the real frights come in haunted houses with special effects, screaming sounds, out-of-this-world animatronics and costumed actors jumping out and scaring the boo out of you.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
“Being scared is definitely primal, an adrenaline surge that you get, especially in a safe environment,” says Ben Armstrong, co-founder of Netherworld Haunted House.
“There’s so much [that goes] into it… the expectation, the waiting in line with friends and then the moments of screams and laughter. No one has the same experience and reaction; what scares one may not scare another. People go back year after year, many travel long distances. It’s tradition.”
Now in its 26th year, last year more than 75,000 visited Netherworld, which still routinely makes national lists of scariest haunted houses. This year it features four escape room games, laser tag battle area, outside laser tag game and two haunts: “The Undying Horror” (“It Creates The Life that Brings You Death!”) and “Parasitic — The Terror that Grows Within You!”
Joey McCollough, owner and general manager of Containment Haunted House in Lithia Springs, agrees that the key is to give audiences an adrenaline rush — safely. “I took a lot of inspiration from Disney. People want to be brought to the point that is close to death or danger but without the risk.”
Credit: Joey McCollough
Credit: Joey McCollough
The Containment Haunted House offers “an immersive experience with storylines that our characters perpetuates. We have actors jumping out and scaring and interactive monster puppets, but we also try to deliver real scares in the sense that you’re dealing with this person and you’re in the middle of the situation,” McCollough says. “We want to make sure that you’re entertained, follow our story and come out satisfied.”
Last year, Containment Haunted House hosted 16,000 people over 24 days. This year they are featuring “Annihilation,” where each person will be given a Gelly Ball weapon and 800 rounds to harness their survival skills, stop the infected and escape. The second one is “The Awakening,” where beings “from the other realm,” appear in shadows and wander the halls. The haunted house, which also is a nationally ranked scare house, is built from 26 shipping containers, hence its name.
Misty and Bryan Head represent the two sides of those who love haunted houses. Bryan Head, who works for Georgia Power, always loved scary things even though his parents wouldn’t let him go to haunted houses nor watch fright movies. So he would go over to his friend’s house (and future wife) where Misty’s mother allowed him watch the forbidden movies.
Credit: Misty Head
Credit: Misty Head
“Bryan just loves scary things and I would have to bury my head because I was too scared,” says Misty, a teacher. “I went to support him but now I love it. The sets are insane and the acting and characters create a genuine experience. It’s high entertainment value.”
Bryan enjoys that “you can go to the same house five or six times and see something different each time. It’s such an adrenaline rush and it hits all your senses at once, with the exception of taste. You get the smells, sounds, visuals; you can touch things. It’s also great that the actors can look at you and tell how far they can go. If you look truly terrified, they’ll back off.”
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Adding, “If you can’t scare me, at least entertain me.”
The following are places to go for that Halloween fright. Check ahead of time because many have age restrictions.
Containment Haunted House. 8-11 p.m. Oct. 20, 23-27, Nov. 4-5; 8 p.m.-midnight Oct. 21, 22, 28-31. Starts at $25. 1320 Blairs Bridge Road, Lithia Springs. 770-765-5334, containmenthauntedhouse.com.
Netherworld Haunted House. 7-10:30 p.m. Wednesday and Tuesday; 7 p.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday; 7-11 p.m. Sunday. Through Nov. 12. Starts at $25. 1313 Netherworld Way, Stone Mountain. 404-999-FEAR, fearworld.com
Nightmare’s Gate Haunted House. 8 p.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday; 8-11 p.m. Sunday and Halloween. Through Oct. 31. Starts at $25. 3844 Longview Drive, Douglasville. 404-275-2757, nightmaresgate.com.
Folklore Haunted House. 7:30-11 p.m. Thursday and Sunday; 7:30 p.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday. Through Nov. 5. Starts at $25. 5389 N. Main St., Acworth. folklorehauntedhouse.com.
13 Stores Haunted House. 7:30-10 p.m. Friday-Sunday. Through Oct. 31. $15-$50. 320 Temple Ave., Newnan. 770-251-9911, 13storieshauntedhouse.com.
The Undergrounded Thriller Escape. 7:30-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 7:30-10 p.m. Sunday. Through Oct. 31. $18-$30. 473 Deckner Ave., Atlanta. 678-400-2591 atlcampcore.net.
Paranoia Haunted House. 8 p.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday; 8-10:30 p.m. Sunday. Through Nov. 5. $25-$60. 2075 Marietta Highway, Canton. 404-387-3203, paranoiahaunt.com.
Fright Fest. Various times. Starts at $49.99, including park admission. Through Oct. 31. Six Flags Over Georgia. 275 Riverside Parkway, Austell. 770-739-3400, sixflags.com/overgeorgia.
Trail of Terror. 8-11:59 p.m. Oct. 21, 22, 28, 29, 30, 31; 8-11 p.m. Oct. 23, Nov. 5. $20 cash; $25 credit card. 3760 Friendship Road, Buford. 470-939-6799, bufordtrailofterror.com.
Haunted Hunt Scavenger Hunt. Self-guided hunt. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Through Oct. 31. $25. Oakland Cemetery, 248 Oakland Ave., Atlanta. 404-688-2107, oaklandcemetery.com.
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