OHIO
Haunted houses rival horror flicks
TOLEDO,
Some say it looks like Dracula's castle.
Now add a crisp, moonlit evening, and mix in 50 demons and devils breaking out of rusted cells and it becomes the perfect setting for a
"You can't get any more creepy than this," said Myron St. John, who's in charge of terrorizing the former
Not even
Big-budget special effects, elaborate sets, and exotic locations are turning what once were neighborhood haunts into weekend destinations for those who love to scream.
In New Orleans, there's an old mortuary surrounded by cemeteries and the city's iconic above-ground tombs.
Old
And there's a pair of haunted houses in Kansas City, Mo., that end with terrifying slides, one dropping visitors five floors down into the devil's arms.
"For us, it's a true theatrical production, but the applause comes in the form of screams," said Amber Arnett-Bequeaith, whose family operates four haunted houses within a few blocks on the edge of downtown Kansas City.
Antique tractors take customers on hay rides to the different attractions where 150 actors roam about.
Animals play a role too -- there are pythons and an anaconda at The Edge of Hell, and a live alligator inside the Beast. Watch out for the headless horsemen galloping on the streets outside.
Just within the last five years, haunted houses have become much more elaborate with innovations in technology, said Billy Messina, co-owner of Netherworld in Norcross, Ga., near Atlanta.
It's not unusual to find people working on the attractions who have worked in movies with special effects and
"We have giant animatronic monsters that are 20 feet tall," he said. "People are used to seeing this at the movies. They want to see it here."
Some of the most popular haunted houses partner with hotels to offer packages that include tickets. Others offer the chance to bypass the lines, which can grow to two hours on busy weekend night in October
"Haunted house fans are like roller coaster fans, they will travel" said Sean Kelley, program director of the haunted house at Eastern State Penitentiary in downtown
More than 100,000 people visit the shuttered prison each fall. "When you walk into the old cell blocks, you really feel it," Kelley said. "You see furniture tipped over on side, the graffiti. You really get the sense that the people just left."
Near the end, those brave enough to enter are given flashlights and they must find their way out -- with a few surprises along the way.
Money raised from the haunted house helps pay for preservation of the prison, which was closed to non-paying visitors in 1971.
Those too scared to visit in the dark during
The old Ohio State Reformatory -- midway between
But it really comes alive during Halloween.
The haunted house takes guests through the six-story cell block and the basement morgue.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium in
"People say why don't you have a year-round haunted house," said owner Tina Mattingly. "I say 'I do. We just don't have actors in there year-round."
The haunted house tour in the fall includes a trip through the "body chute," an underground tunnel used to transport bodies out of the building.
"You could put nothing in there or fill it up props, people will get scared," said Mattingly, who lives on the site with her husband while the restore the property.
Other haunted houses with a unique story include:
-- The USS Nightmare, in Newport. Ky., is a dilapidated 1934 steamboat that sits on the
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