Haunted houses have been preparing all year to scare willing victims and now is the time to test one’s courage and fortitude. Americans spend incredible amounts of money to be frightened. According to AmericanFrights.com, the haunted attraction industry generates about $300 million a year, most of which is made during the month of Halloween. Why are people attracted to this sort of thrill? Quite simply, people love to be scared.
Even in today’s still-lagging economy, getting spooked in some form or fashion around Halloween is a priority for many. The Metro Atlanta area offers plenty of haunted attractions to enjoy, from the returning and popular “Netherworld” to the newer “Zombie Apocalypse.”
When choosing a haunted attraction, it’s important to understand the options and what sets each apart from the others. Before shelling out $15 to $40 for the thrill, make sure the venue is worth the money. After all, few college students have money to burn. For example, “13 Stories” haunted house located near Town Center mall is known for its local myths and legends that they use live animals and bugs and give free admission to anyone who can make it all the way through. People go to “13 Stories” because of these false tales and pay a hefty $22 to see for themselves if they are true, which they are not. Since 2004, people have been scared by an attraction that prides itself on using live actors instead of machines and animatronics.
The “Chambers of Horror” haunted house, located in downtown Atlanta, is the only haunted house in the city that admits adults only. This venue claims its experience is gory and more violent than the others, think movies “Saw” and “Hostel.” Another interesting difference compared to other scare stops is that each room is like being thrown into a horror movie scene, so if scary movies get you giddy, this is the place for you.
“People go to haunted houses for the adrenaline rush and the quick scare,” said Cody Roberts, a Halloween Horror Nights employee at Universal Studios Florida. “They like to feel like a part of a movie, but walk through knowing it isn’t real.”
Halloween Horror Nights features seven haunted houses, street scares and a show called “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure.” Universal Studios aims to satisfy all degrees of scare entertainment, which is exactly what attendees pay for: entertainment.
Halloween is the perfect time for every type of person to experience thrill without the destruction of buildings or limbs. Whether you’re the friend who reluctantly gets dragged along, the guy who takes the girl so she will think you’re a fearless protector, a horror movie buff or someone who merely enjoys laughing at frightened friends, you’ll pay to nearly pee your pants.
“It was more like a ‘Wow! That surprised me!’ experience rather than a ‘That scared me to death!’ one,” said Netherworld visitor and South Carolina native John Ferrer. Ferrer’s experience differed from the screaming females fleeing the site as masked men chased them with chainless chainsaws.
Each individual will have a unique experience and understanding of the haunted houses, depending on his previous disposition to the house’s substance. “Netherworld” offers two houses: “Banshee” and “The Hive.” If you want to pay a lower fee, choose one or the other. If you enjoy bugs and screaming banshees, buy tickets to both. For lighter-hearted fright seekers, “Fear the Woods” is a $15 attraction in Stockbridge, Ga., that offers a haunted hayride, chilling trail and zombie paintball, as well as the usual farm pumpkin patch and an unusual reptile exhibit. It just goes to show, these places cater to their audience and know the levels of scary to appease.
Choosing a haunted experience can be tough, but hauntworld.com can help narrow the choices. This site lists all the houses and scary destinations in the state along with their locations and a link to their websites, which lists the real determining factor: price.
We all love to be scared, even when we know it’s fiction. We pay for terrifyingly trained actors and fake bugs to scare us because if these terrors were real, they wouldn’t be nearly as fun.
