DEAD ACRES...doing their best to make you sick!

Ahhh, yes...Dead Acres -the first extreme haunt my wife and I ever attended - the Black Sheep of the Haunt Industry...doing their best to make you sick...jeez, great tagline, eh?....and all of it quite true, I might add!

This place is POPULAR! The teen set and the adrenaline junkies just love this one, and the lines can be staggering! In 2010, we attended relatively early in the season, and by the time we got to our turn in line - we purchased Fast Passes - the wait at the end of the trail was over six hours long and they kept on coming!!- and every last person went through!

           

Talk about dedication to your craft and all that....

What make this one so special? That's easy. This crew does it's own thing - no trends, no frills, no steampunk - just in your face, and in it LOUD!

As nuts as this all is, it all started off over fifty years ago as a haunted hayride done by a family to entertain friends...this place has long and fascinating history, and the following links document it very well:

http://www.hauntworld.com/featured_article/haunted_house_in_columbus_ohio_haunted_hoochie_dead_acres

http://www.deadacres.com/topranked.htm

http://www.hauntedattraction.com/articles/the-haunted-hoochie-at-dead-acres/#more-2273

http://deadacres.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=history&action=display&thread=59

What can you expect? 

While attending the Midwest Haunters Convention, I ran into several of their actors, including one Gina Heartless, who was kind enough to fill me in that a lot of new themes and ideas are being devised while a lot of old favorites are going bye-bye...

Some past goodies included a live shotgun suicide, a lot of very imaginative and *really* gory ways of doing people in, and a live demon birth that has to be seen to be believed - look around on their website, there's a video of it...hey, I never said this place was tasteful!!!

Incidentally, these guys ***REALLY*** like their pyro, so take heed!
         
When our godkids Bonnie and Shaun came into town for a visit from Rockford, Illinois, during the 2010 season, they said they wanted to see something *really* over the top and and intense and we took them here.

Needless to say, they did NOT go home disappointed! 

Part of the reason I wanted to show them this place is that Bonnie is a VERY talented graphic artist - she's done several commissions for me already - and this place has to have the Graphic Artist from Hell in their employ, because the stuff running up and down the exterior walls is just E X T R E M E  to the "nth" degree - I've included several photos of it here...Bonnie really got an eyeful that night, and I think it made her up her game a notch or two.

Their secondary attraction is called Bad Trip 3D, and while this is not my bag - the 3D thing is pretty prevalent nowadays, but it always leaves me cold - this one actually works as the displays are stark, and the designs do work extremely well...

Keep little kids away from this one - it's gory in the extreme, and the actors aren't afraid to rough house with ya'!

Despite of - or maybe in spite of - all the splatter, it's has that vibe of being designed with the tongue planted firmly in the cheek....don't take it too seriously or you'll end up hurting yourself.

Think of  it as a gory, psychotic funhouse, with some traditional haunt touches, a nod back to the days of Coney Island, filled with the unpredictable with the distinct feel of  1970's haunts, and the throbbing beat of White Zombie and you've got this place sewn up.

There are plenty of  of videos of Dead Acres our in YouTube land - have a look and see what you're in for...

In closing, this place isn't for everyone - in fact, as they say, "Not Recommended for ANYONE!" - but I digress - ...if you really want to see something  just totally, out of the box, wild-eyed crazy, very few can match this...

...as they say over there - "Live to Die!"

Some links well worth mentioning:

My Goddaughter, Bonnie's DeviantArt page:

http://d-angeline.deviantart.com/

Gina Heartless (actress at Dead Acres, also professional model:

www.modelmayhem.com/missheartless

You can also find her on Facebook as "Lucy Fur"

Next time around, we're off to the Windy City of Chicago to check in on a local legend known as Dream Reapers..... 

Until then, STAY SCARY!

Our dear fiend....errrr...friend, Gina Heartless....

 

My stepson Mike, Lisa and I braving the place in 2009...

 

Big outing in 2010 - me, our Goddaughter Bonnie, her boyfriend, Shawn, my wife, Lisa and our son, Mike...

Akron, OH's The Haunted School and Laboratory

Akron, Ohio's Haunted School and Lab are one of those attractions that started from a grass roots home haunt, and, with time, creativity, and a genuine love for Halloween, have evolved into something truly special.

My wife and I have seen spectacular haunts all over the country, but this one in particular has a such wonderful atmosphere to it - mix equal parts of the best of the Universal Monsters, 1970's haunt nostalgia, tons of imaginative and beautifully executed sets and costumes,  a darker edged dose of Disney's Haunted Mansion, and a commitment to quality and originality and you've got this place.

The Haunted Schoolhouse has been going since 1974 and the Laboratory since 1981, so, as whole, that's thirty-nine years of professional experience scaring the living daylights out of people...I can name only one other haunt that has run longer, and that's only by a year or two and they've moved a few times - this place has been in the same spot all these years.

One the key elements to their continued success is that it's a community event when they open their doors - Akron, Ohio, while not exactly a huge city, has it's fair share of places to go, things to do, and sights to see...this place has a warmth and charm that is sorely lacking from a lot of attractions...in spite of what a lot of people may think, the old adage of making the customer feel welcome applies here as well.

I've been to a few haunts where the owners and staff are only in it for the money, and it shows! You can have the best props, effects and location in the world, but if you your people are an insufferable buttholes, it's all for naught.

Not true here - on our first visit in 2008, we arrived particularly early, and a young man was already made up and stalking the premises - we had a really good conversation with him, he took a few pictures with us and of us, and welcomed us to come back again some time - turns out, this guy's name is Ryan Haidet, and he handles all the PR for the School and Lab...you could say that's extreme self-interest (and a lot of the  time I wouldn't argue with you), but we made a second sojourn that year, and he saw us right in the front of the line. He gave us one of the warmest and sincere "glad to see you again!" greetings we've ever had....he also helped us snag a couple of t-shirts..all I can say is our gratitude to him extends to today!

This warmth translate to the entire working staff, btw - as I said earlier, this is a big community event...it's also very grass roots and one of the prides of the Akron community. Everyone here is a joy to talk to and  always affable and accommodating to every question. That's one of *biggest* reasons it's so special.

In terms of the sets - wow, I mean, just WOW!

I said this on my HAUNTCAST segment, and I'll repeat it here - this is the place to see if you're looking for inspiration for your own attraction or (in particular) home haunt.

All the technological advances are nice flourishes to add spice on an attraction, but, you have to have a solid foundation first. Modern audiences are far more sophisticated, and all that pizzazz is great eye candy, true, but, as they say, "Where's the Beef?"

The beauty of this one is simple - they've constructed (and reconstructed) the majority of their sets and props, and, with forty years of experience, have developed a unique and remarkable haunt with substance and character. 

There's nothing like doing it yourself, is there?

The quality and detail here is U N R E A L...it genuinely rivals the pros with all their technical wizardry...dare I say it, the folks behind all this could make a killing selling props of their own!

My wife and I have our own home - or rather, apartment - haunt, and overall, we build our own props...coming to this place just blew us away and really pushed us to step up our game.

I can't say this enough - when going through the attractions, take an extra moment or two to take it all in - the quality, sophistication and detailing on the place is unlike anything you'll see in a scratch built haunt.

That level of fine detailing applies to the costumes here as well - there are so many unique and well constructed monsters, it's a testament to the imagination of their creators - of course, Freddy, Michael, Jason, and a few other notables all put in appearances, but, quite frankly, it's the home spun horrors that make the place.

Highlights? That's a tough one! One of the *best* - and I don't say that lightly - Castle Dracula sets in the country - check their website's photo section for a look at it. This is something you really need to stop and take a closer look at - there's also a terrific Frankenstein's lab - and take a really close look at Frankie, too...terrific stuff...also worth looking over is a massive cemetery that's been around, tweaked and perfected, for who-knows-how-long...oh, and say "hello" to George who just seems to take forever in the bathroom....

Remember, as I mentioned at the top of this article, this is along the lines of a darker version of Disney's Haunted Mansion - it's best to err on the side of caution in regards to younger children - I consider this one semi-kid friendly...about eight or nine years of age being the cut off...truthfully, most of the younger kids we've seen there tend to dig it, so, draw your own conclusions!

...also, when they advertise seven levels of terror, they aren't kidding - and it's *all* by stairs! My family and I are in reasonable shape, and those things just about killed us! Please take that into consideration if you come here, there are NO access elevators!

Their website is www.hshlab.com, and is loaded with pictures, lore and information.

I really can't add too much more to that - aside from adding that if you are interested in checking this one out, drop me a line and my wife and I will be delighted to meet you there...

Next time around, we'll be heading to Columbus, Ohio, to visit one of the wildest and goriest haunts in the Buckeye state - Dead Acres, a.k.a. "The Haunted Hoochie", the notorious "Black Sheep of the Haunting Industry",  a reputation well-earned, I might add...

Until then, Stay Scary!      

     Our Godkids, Bonnie and Shaun Fontanne of Rockford, Illinois, mugging it up for me....

A Trip to THE DARKNESS of St. Louis...

 

Ah, yes....The Darkness - almost universally acclaimed as one of the best haunted houses in the country...and y'know, something? It's really hard to dispute that claim...

I can count the number of haunts that are even close this one's greatness on one hand - yep, this is one of the Big Ones, folks - a "Must See Before You Die" type experience for the haunt thrill seeker.

            
The attraction itself is set in an older industrial building, and the owners went to great pains to take out any semblance of the location's interior - as we all know, any suspension of disbelief goes right out the window when a piece of reality creeps in (I'll touch more on that a bit later) but that's not a problem here!

What I loved about it the most was how it combines the traditional and the technological in a ghoulish unification guaranteed to delight even the most blasé haunter...and, yes, I wrote that myself!

In a nutshell, you have a very traditional haunted house, but with an attention to detail that goes above and beyond most haunts - all those little knick-knacks and bits and pieces of fine detailing that add to a scene's believability  - think of it in terms of a living room scene set in your own home and all the tiny items that would be lying on the table, on the floor, etc. That adds a tinge of realism that accents the scares just that bit more.

Throw in a smattering of the latest technological pieces mixed with some really fantastic sets and, well, what else can I add?

Highlights include a great dungeon sequence, complete with something Rather Nasty waiting in a fountain, a dinosaur surprise where you least expect it, and one the most elaborate Mummy's Tombs I've ever seen - I'm an enormous Universal Monsters fan, so, anything even related to characters like Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man or the Mummy just make the trip so much more worthwhile...take a moment or two to take this one in, it's genuinely breath-taking.

As a whole, The Darkness does not have an overriding theme - there is a loose House of Horrors vibe to it all - but when you reach this level of flow and sophistication, you just kick back and enjoy the ride...

Be ready with your cameras, too, as you wait your turn in line - even here, there are props, set pieces and surprises galore - I was genuinely awed by the level they went to just for the entry gate - fantastic stuff!

Also worthy of note is a 3-D clown segment to the attraction called Terror Visions - and while the clown thing never really appealed to me, this is one of the best you will find, a wonderful blend of ultraviolet and 3-D effects, very well done.

Another nifty twist to The Darkness is that it's creators understand the element of surprise better than most - things have this habit of just jumping out at you, sneaking up behind you and popping up in the last place you would expect...my advice is to put the jumpiest person in your group in the front and watch the fun...granted, they may never speak to you again, but, hey, that's the breaks...they'll get over it...

There's a gift shop at the end - dubbed The Monster Museum - that is really worth it's weight in gold - adorned with life-sized mock ups of Michael Jackson's were cat from his Thriller video, an Alien, a Predator and one of the best mock-ups of the Creature from the Black Lagoon I've ever come into contact with - remember what I mentioned about the Universal Monsters earlier? Take note of the photograph below! - my son Mike and I were just gawking....and, oddly enough, we completely forgot to buy anything in the midst of all that picture taking. Go figure!

I said this on HAUNTCAST, I'll repeat it here - don't even think about bringing a young kid into this - no one below age ten, and, quite frankly, that's pushing it from my perspective - this thing is dark, gory and intense to huge degree - I saw quite a few adults flipping out that night and I shudder to think what it would do to a little kid.

The Darkness is part of a website network called Scarefest (www.scarefest.com) and they also have their own as well (www.thedarkness.com), although the Scarefest site seems to be the primary place for information and background material.

As you can probably imagine, this place has received a literal ton of media attention, a lot of it available on YouTube - for a nifty behind the scenes look, check out the user "McKamey Manor" for some really interesting pieces...also worthy of note is the America Haunts series, (www.americahaunts.com)  who did a very revealing piece on the site and it's creators...this, too, is floating around on YouTube and is well worth a look....

A point worth mentioning: I discussed atmosphere earlier - a great example of blowing the atmosphere was in a haunt we saw last year, set up in a recently defunct shopping complex, more than likely one that housed a K-Mart, WalMart or something of that ilk...anyway, as we traveled through their "labyrinthine paths" - hey, it was in their promo, not mine! - all you had to do look was look up and see the sprinkler systems...not to mention the walls were a bit on the short side, and you could see the plate glass windows of the entrance...yeah....needless to say, that blew it right there...another pet peeve of mine...

A little trivia - do *I* get scared anymore by haunted houses?

Truth be told, no, not really...I can be startled - I think no one gets past that - by genuinely scared? Nah. I'm far past that point. I go to see this for the artistic aspect and showmanship - dazzle me, thrill me - all that sort of thing - I want to be amazed y'know? Show me what ya' got!

           

In that regard, The Darkness pays off in spades - you just cannot afford to miss this one!

Next time around, we'll be heading to Akron, Ohio to visit the Haunted School and Lab - it's been up and running for over thirty years and is one of the best the Buckeye state - not to mention the country! - has to offer and another of the "must see" variety!

Until then, Stay Scary!