Friday, October 30, 2009

That Damned Show

http://thatdamnedshow.com/

This isn't a haunted house, but it is a perfect artistic event for the lovers of Halloween. An amazing two day art show/party in Detroit. The art was high quality and vast - something for everyone who likes the dark, creepy and twisted. The punch was blood red, red devil cake, reasonable prices on the artwork, a bar, and performances. My favorite works were a photo of girl dressed like Alice in Wonderland blending up a cat and the painting where Chairy eats Pee Wee Herman. My advice is to go early and get the chance to take your time and enjoy the artwork before the crowd comes in. Worth the $7 + donation of canned goods.

However, the crowd...museum manners were in the garbage can - as the evening went on it was harder and harder to be able to see past the self centered mannerless chatting art farts who weren't moving. It said to dress in red or as a devil - not a lot of takers on that unfortunately. Again, not the friendliest group. No real soul to the crowd. The art was too crammed on the walls - not sure why they didn't put artwork in both rooms instead of so high you couldn't see some of it. I also didn't understand why the performances were in the room with the art when there was a stage in the other room. It was very hard to see.

Maybe next year I will try the aphrodisiac dinner and masquerade ball. -Dottie. Trixie didn't go :(

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Farm of Terror: Hayride

http://hauntedfarmofterror.com/



We had to come back on a different night because the night we were there it was frezzing. We got there early and were the first hayride out through the forest. The beginning was excellent. Monsters came out of everywhere and were all over us-LITERALLY. At one point there were at least 5 monsters jumping on and off the hayride. Then came the came the chainsaw monsters and they were great too. The sets were good and a lot of surprises along the way. My only complaint is the end was weak and maybe because it was early and the monsters weren't warmed up yet. All in all, a scream-filled time.-Trixie

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Morrow Road

http://www.morrowroad.com/hauntedtrail.htm

We were headed for the guided tour and stumbled on the fabled Morrow Road. We decided to go down it. It was a creepy road. I am always scared in the black dark of country roads. We passed a tree that was misshapen and awful looking and creeped Trixie and I out immediately. Otherwise, nothing extraordinary happened. Wondering what the $12 tour/haunted trail is like, but too cheap to try it. It is not far from the Scream Park and Farm of Terror.

Scarefest Scream Park

http://www.scarefestscreampark.com/

This has three parts: Hayride of Doom, Terror Zone Maze and Forest of Darkness.

The Haunted Forest was exceptional. Monsters hid on the bridge, were laying down - just all over the place. Really, really solid good scares. I totally recommend this.
We could not get out of the maze. It was just wooden, but it was really, really good - especially the foggy parts. The entrance was freaking amazing. The clown with a chainsaw was like chocolate ice cream with chocolate on top - doesn't get better.
They also had a bonfire and a movie going. The luscious smell of elephant ears cooking perfumed the crisp evening air.
The hayride started out good. A stealthy monster scared the bejesus out of me in line. The headless horseman was realistic. I heard the accent of the guy leading the hayride and was immediately apprehensive. Not sure how there are monsters with English accents in Livingston county?? The hayride that left before ours had a great sounding lead monster. I was envious. Ours was stupid as I expected. There were some good scares. A couple of monsters hid under the bridge - they could have used that creepy little stream for more scares. There was an unusually high number of girl monsters which was great - finally a place with equal rights for monsters. The witch setup was really good. The giant baby doll was the scariest monster of the night. The giant monsters were stunning. The visual effect of different parts were really nice Halloween vignettes. However, some of the themes were just yucky and not scary. The army camp - yuck- at first I thought it was a campground and thought it was brilliant. Not so. The place with all the nooses - I really didn't like seeing the guy get hung. Not fun scary.-Dottie

Everything had a long wait even though there weren't that many people. It had rained a little earlier, so not big crowds. My highlight was hearing a scream from Dottie that I had never heard before. A monster came up from behind her in line and REALLY caught her off-guard. Then the monster said, "Score!" The hayride was just ok. The monsters came up to us but weren't as interactive as other hayrides we've been on. The baby doll monster was my favorite and at one point a girl monster had a live chicken she was throwing around. All of the female monsters were very scary so I give them an A+.
We had to go into the Haunted Forest and Maze with 4 other high school kids. They were hilarious, and even though the one was 6 feet + tall, he wouldn't let go of my jacket. The forest is great because we weren't restricted and could move around freely. Monsters came out of everywhere and the 6 of us screamed our heads off the whole time.
The maze became frustrating after a while because we kept going in circles. The darkness and smoke made it extra scary, but stepping in puddles in the dark was annoying. Finally, after the 6 of us sang the ABCs, we were shown the way out.
This is a good haunt because it's different than many others. I would recommend this, but wear warm AND junky shoes.-Trixie

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Tips for visiting haunts

From Dottie:

What to take to make sure your haunted house trip is not a real nightmare:

1. Wear layers. Always wear too many clothes. Gloves, hats, scarves etc. Always plenty of time in line to put some back in the car if you need to.
2. Its the world of port-a-pottys: pack a little flashlight, hand sanitizer, toilet paper.
3. A snack if you are really cheap. Its cold and that will make you starve.
4. If you are the scaredy cat like me, be sure the person in your group ahead of you is wearing a hoodie. Trixie thought of this. Holding onto her hood is my Linus blanket through the haunts.
5. Bring cash, don't expect them to take any form of plastic. Bring extra because there might be a fortune teller, some wonderful weird snack food, a pumpkin, or another nearby haunted house you want to try.
6. Get your coupons from Fearfinder or online from the individual house you are going to. Weekdays are often cheaper and the lines are shorter.
7. Don't carry much (except a little backpack is ok). Wear something with pockets that zip. How many times have we heard people say they lost heir car keys/cell in the house? That's a real nightmare!
8. Wear shoes that are warm and that can get dirty.

The Crypt

http://www.crypthauntedhouse.com/

From Dottie: This one was not as good as St. Lucifer's and Cell Block 13, but still a good solid haunted house. It is about 5 minutes up the road from those two. I think I would go to this one first, since its not quite as A+++ as the other 2. I give it a B. (Trixie's side kick gave it an A, being less of a haunt snob than us.) It had nicer set ups, but in lots of rooms, and I was lonely for a monster and a scare. Too many machine monsters. The pitch black parts were great, but no monster came. :( The seaweed monsters were very scary. No monsters were out in line to pre-scare me. :( The chainsaw was good at the end because I didn't hear him coming.

From Trixie: I was a little leery that this one would not stand up to St. Lucifer's or Cell Block 13, but I was pleasantly surprised. One of my favorite parts was going over a bridge through a rotating mirrored tube. The optical illusion made you feel like you were going to fall off. I could have stood there for an hour. There were corridors that were completely pitch black, and some music or a monster would have added a special touch in these sections. I was also disappointed that there were no monsters outside while we were in line, and the Halloween soundtrack that they played over and over consisted of 3 songs. (I started to rap to the Halloween theme song). At the end of it my sidekick, Tiger, pushed me out of the way and I nearly fell over as he ran for his life trying to get away from the chainsaws. That was one of the funniest things all night.

Cell Block 13 Haunted House

http://www.wickedhill.com/links.html

Yet another amazing haunted house in Flint. This is right next door to St. Lucifer's. The experience started with waiting in line: I loved watching people come out of the prison screaming with 2 chainsaw monsters behind them. One chainsaw guy actually went up to the occupied port-a-potty and ran the chainsaw all over the door. When the guy came out, oh man, it was SOOO funny to watch him. The crazy heckling gatekeeper monster called Trixie mom. This scared us on a different level - so what if we were the oldest people in line in a sea of teenagers...its not our fault most adults suck and hate Halloween. They let us go without another group attached to us, thank you very much! Inside, more great monsters everywhere. Hardly a break from them! The best was the one with the gun who couldn't scare me for anything, but my goodness he tried. Please, a gun? I'm from Detroit monster man. Even the tank doesn't shake me. But I give him credit for trying and suggesting therapy. I believe his professional recommendation was 4 days a week. Almost as good as Saint Lucifer's. I recommend the 2 houses together. Rock on Flint. -Dottie aka Dr. Bug

The entertainment while waiting in line was perfect. However, I could have done without the taunts from the smart-ass gatekeeper, but I suppose that was his job. This haunted house was very dark and full of creepy interactive monsters. Our buddy, Tiger, screamed "f*** this sh**" on more than one occasion. A swamp monster that looked like Chewbacca came out of the wall and really got me good. You can buy a combo ticket for $24 and these 2 haunted houses are definitely worth the ride up to Flint. -Trixie

Saint Lucifer's Asylum 2009

http://www.fearfest.net/about.htm

Trixie: This was my favorite last year and once again it's my favorite this year. This haunted house is very scary! The psychotic patients pop out of strange places and follow you every where. A lot of maze-like corridors and dark corners for them to hide. Many times what I thought was a prop jumped to life at us just as we passed by. We screamed and laughed so hard, especially at the end when the awe-inspiring chainsaws chased us out of a narrow corridor to the parking lot. Can't wait to go again next year!!!

Dottie: OUTSTANDING. Time to take an October vacation to Flint, Michigan. Oh Yeah. Flint is the center of the haunting universe. Saint Lucifer's was my favorite last year and is again this year. The monsters were AMAZING. The very best scare was when one monster scared the crap out of me, then another one snuck up on me, and there was even a third all at once. The levels of my screams were piled on top of each other. Everywhere I looked I was scared. A+++ monsters. They also kept in character, but not overacting. Just plain creepy and scary. This was the first haunted house where I actually thought I wanted the nightmare to be over - get me out. DELICIOUSLY DEVILISH. SUCCULENTLY SCARY. FABULOUSLY FRIGHTENING. Plus the price was reasonable. Waiting in line was great because there was a real girl hanging from hooks. I just couldn't look away. Mmmmmm. I love Halloween.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Haunted Farm of Terror

http://hauntedfarmofterror.com/


What a great night! There were a few expected downsides: long lines and cold weather, but we had a fabulous time. The monsters were creepy and in your face. The haunted house lasted about 15 minutes and was full of bloody dark rooms and confusing mazes. One of Dottie's worst nightmares came at the end just before we entered the cornfield maze. The maze could be longer, but there were good monsters stalking us and even begging for our flesh the whole way through. I was disappointed there were no chainsaws in this part. Since it was so cold, we decided to come back another night for the hayride portion, and I could hear my chainsaws singing to me out in the forest. Can't wait! -Trixie

As I walked up to the house, I saw the bonfire, the giant skull with the lighted eyes and my heart leaped at the good fortune I had to enjoy yet another devilish Halloween. The bonfire had cushioned seats, I could smell the fine cuisine of tacos in a bag, and quickly went with Trixie into the skilled psychic tent for a $5 reading that was right on the money. The loveliness of the place made me wish it was a park for the Halloween lovers year round. The haunted house, however... :( The waiting was an hour and a half. They should put small bonfires near the waiting lines. It had rained the night before so the crowd was double. (Make a note of that important haunt visiting tip). We didn't get the chainsaw - I saw it there. On a shelf. :( Poor Trixie with her love of chainsaws. The scary clowns were very good. The man with the fake accent in the corn maze needs to go back to the Renaissance Festival where he belongs. An accent doesn't make you scary. The ability to sneak and jump is the real art. One guy followed us in the corn field. He looked super crazy and creeped well. A+ crazy professor stalker guy. They bought more of those stupid machines that are supposed to move and scare you and used less real monsters. Thumbs down on that. It takes two humans to be scared. Machines just don't have it. - Dottie

HAYRIDE
The Hayride started out really good. There were monsters were all over the hayride. The story they tell is alwyas good. The music was an interesting assortment that I liked and went with the story. The chainsaws were plentiful and close. The insane guy who jumped out of the cage was great. I tried to hide behind Trixie but couldnt since I was next to her. Not good planning on my part. Toward the end, the monsters were a little sparse and uninspired. We were the first hayride on a rainy night so maybe that's why. I still love that place and wish I could go there year round when I need a bonfire and a scare. - Dottie

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

All Hallows Eve

This year Halloween is on a Saturday, which only happens like every 6 years (don't forget leap year, folks). So we would like to know what fun things are happening on this spookiest of nights in the Metro Detroit area. One of the bigger Haunted House attractions, Slaughtered at Sundown, is having a special where you get into the attraction cheaper that night if you're wearing a Halloween costume. What else is going on out there?

http://slaughteredatsundown.net/HomePage.html

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

2009 Fear Finder

The 2009 Fear Finder is out!!! There are some new haunts along with some old favorites. A few of our favorites that we plan on visiting again this year include "Haunted Farm of Terror" and "Saint Lucifer's Haunted Asylum". Some new ones that we are looking forward to are "The Haunting" and "Haunted Hollows". We are SO excited for this Halloween Haunting season and can't wait to get started!! -Trixie

Sunday, September 20, 2009

It's getting to be the end of September and that means the Halloween season is right around the corner!!!! Many haunted houses begin the last week of September so the Fear Finder Guide should be available this week and can picked up at Taco Bell or a Halloween store. I'm looking forward to some oldies but goodies, as well as a few new ones this year!!

Monday, January 19, 2009

Fear Farm Fields of Fright

9391 Lindsey Lane
Casco, MI 48064
http://www.cornfun.com/

Visited: October 2007

Dottie: These people are very nice. That aside, their haunted corn maze was great. Very sneaky monsters. They also have an unhaunted one that is challenging. They also had a bonfire, petting zoo, and pumpkins to pick. Its a great evening. Its suited for adults who like Halloween, but don't want to be scared to death. Good for brave 5th graders and up - but not cheesy scary. Still a good, solid scare. A good evening. A little hard to get to - you can see it from I-94 but its a little tricky on the country roads you have to follow.

Realm of Darkness

79 S. Glenwood, Pontiac
http://www.therealmofdarkness.com/

Visited: October 2006 (I think)

Dottie: This one had super fancy decor. Also, you had the challenge of trying to find the secret key. There were lots of us and none of us got the key. It wasn't so scary as much as fancy.

Resources to find Halloween Events

(as of October 2008)

Fear Finder: A great newspaper with directions and ads for haunted houses. Find it at Taco Bell.

The Haunt Guide: This color booklet has less events in it, but sometimes different ones than the Fear Finder. Find it at Halloween USA.

Free Press: Their "Play" insert at the beginning of October had some detailed descriptions of some of the haunts.

Halloween Party Ballroom Dance Club U of M

Visited: October 2007

Dottie: (Trixie didn't come.) This was a nice party. About half the crowd was dressed up. The age range was vast. The music was very good with varied dances. It was crowded but not so crowded dancing was difficult. There is always a nice atmosphere at the club and they did a nice job for Halloween. There was even a costume contest.

Theatre Bizarre Party

Visited: October 2008

Dottie: This is something special on earth. It really speaks to the Halloween love this region has. The setting was just magic - the lighting, the decorations, the fake mermaid in a box, the organ in a tree, the bonfires, fire eaters, pierced people, the haunted house entrance. I plan to go to this every year until I die. I felt a little out of place, as if everyone there knew each other for a long time. But it felt like home for my little Halloween loving spirit. Next year, I will prepare one costume for cold weather and one for warm so that I am not messing around with it. This is a place to put some effort into the costume you are wearing.

Best Costume Shop

Visited: October 2008

Dottie: Aside from the regular trip to Value World for some thrift store creativity, I visited Halloween USA, JoAnn's and Party City. I was really surprised by the selection at Party City. Seems like they have a better buyer than either of the other stores.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Erebus

Erebus
18 S. Perry, Pontiac

Visited: October 2006

Dottie: This one is expensive. Its so big because of the long walks between stuff. I am not fond of "Hollywood" types of compressor driven monsters. You hear the compressor before the monster comes. So much for the scare! I prefer something that focuses on people with skilled scaring abilities.

Trixe: This place has too much hype surrounding it. The ONLY thing this one has is the visuals and special effects. There is nothing scary about this place except for the price.

Haunted Winery

Haunted Winery
http://www.thehauntedwinery.com/
21505 Grand River, Farmington

Visited: October 2007

Dottie: This wasn't scary at all.

Trixie: Nope, not at all.

Deadly Intentions

Deadly Intentions
www.deadlyintentionshaunt.com
20900 Dequindre

Visited: October 2006 (I think)

Dottie: A good, regular haunted house. A good first haunted house for young teens. Lots of monsters.

Salem's Haunted Barn

Salem's Haunted Barn
http://www.thehauntedbarn.us/

Visited: October 2008

Dottie: I had high hopes for this far flung haunted barn. The same people are the monsters in the barn and hayride, so the waiting outside in the cold for one or the other was forever. Once inside the barn, it was very short. The clowns were supurb. The hayride was not scary at all. However, it was the lovliest hayride I have ever been on. A clear night, a field with little hills, being pulled by horses - but I don't think that was the goal. The monsters ran across the field so you could see them coming. So much for surprise. I wouldn't recommend this one, certainly not worth the price.

Trixie: I also had high hopes for this place because it was way out in the middle of nowhere. But this was one of the worst haunted houses I have ever been to. The only highlight was the real animals, including a litter of kittens.

Dottie: And that great dog!

Saint Lucifer's Haunted Asylum

Saint Lucifer's Haunted Asylum
http://www.fearfest.net/
5290 S. Dort, Grand Blanc

Visited: October 2008

Dottie: The scariest haunted place of the year. The place was thoroughly themed. I actually screamed at this place.

Trixie: This is by far one of the best haunted houses in the area. It's a little drive, but totally worth it. When we got there, there was a long line of high schoolers (usually a good sign, it takes a lot to scare teenagers!) So we opted for the "VIP" entrance, which was only a few dollars more, and again, completely worth it.

Many people have a fear of losing their minds and being locked away in an insane asylum. Now put that asylum in Hell, with the devil as your caregiver and you've got a great haunted house. You take an elevator into "the basement" and all of your nightmares come true. There is a lot of darkness, maze-like corridors, creepy-feeling walls, and great sound effects and visuals, along with the "inhabitants" of the asylum.

I would recommend this to adults, but not to kids 10 and under.

Exit Thirteen

Exit 13
www.exitthirteen.net
6069 N. Saginaw, Mt. Morris

Visited: October 2008

Mildly scary, particularly the pig man. The fun mirrors, where you turn the corner and scare yourself, are brilliant. I didn't like the open ceiling - it was too bright inside.

Trixie: We visited this one after St. Lucifer's because it was in the same general area. When we got there the place was empty - usually not a good sign. But we had the place to ourselves and the monsters put all of their energy into us. We had some good scares. But the ceiling was distracting because when you looked up, you knew you were in a warehouse. I would check this one out again.

Slaughtered At Sundown

Slaughtered at Sundown
http://www.slaughteredatsundown.net/
71800 Romeo Plank Road

Visited: October 2008

Dottie: Yikes! The line was scary at this place. We didn't even try. The line was at least 3 blocks long. There were a lot of younger kids there, which may be an indication of the scare level.

Trixie: The parking lot alone was a nightmare. There was a local radio station broadcasting from there that night, so that could account for the insane amount of people. It was too much mass confusion going on so we just left. Maybe we'll try it again during the '09 season, before it gets so crazy.

Haunted Farm of Terror

Haunted Farm of Terror
http://www.hauntedfarmofterrror.com/
28405 26 Mile Road, Lenox Twp. Macomb County

Date visited: September 2008

Dottie: I LOVED this one. The hayride had a very good dancing monster. Set-up scenes in the woods were ok, but I am not a big fan of them. The haunted house monsters were the best I have ever encountered. When one came from behind and one from the front, I was beside myself. Then the monsters split Trixie and I up. Super creepy! I like that they have the bonfire, haunted house, haunted maze (not really planted though), haunted hayride, cafe, big screen scary movies and fortune teller. I really liked the fortune teller. I thought she was good, but I am still waiting for her predictions to come true. A great evening out.

Trixie: We had a lot of fun at this one. It was the first haunted house we went to of the 2008 season, so there weren't many people there yet. I've been other years and it can get pretty busy. But they have such a variety of things to do at one place that you can make an evening of it. The DJ and dancing monster on the hayride was great; in fact, all of the monsters were really good. When the monsters split us up, Dottie started calling my name. Then she faded away. A moment later I heard my name again, but this time it wasn't Dottie, it was the monsters calling me. That scared the crap out of me!!! The haunted house itself was well done with visuals, narrow corridors, and monsters jumping out, surrounding and then following us. I'm a big fan of chainsaws, and I was disappointed there weren't more of them at this site. Also, I have yet to meet my brown haired Aries that the psychic had predicted. (However, she was spot on a few other things that made me think she was good)