Happy National Haunted House Day! Do you have an inner zombie? Do you get excited by the thought of ghosts?
The second Friday in October annually observes this day of frights, thrills and screams heard from deep within the near-pitch interior of a decrepit mansion...all during a thunderstorm, of course.
Haunted houses and the industry around them have impacted popular culture in a permanent way.
In recent history, over the past few decades at least, haunted houses have been slowly and methodically extending the celebration of Halloween and horror well beyond a single night in October.
Attending haunted houses has become a staple “to do” for a huge number of people across the country during that time of the year.
The people who run these nightmare-inducing attractions are artists, business owners, community leaders, charitable leaders, and by their initiative to establish this holiday they are united by a common vision and passion for an industry.
Each ask that you to join them in standing up together and asking that members of congress adopt legislation to enact a proposition to help make National Haunted House Day an official American holiday on the second Friday of October.
They further insist that haunted houses across the country support this holiday as well by contributing to charitable causes on this day by donating a portion of their proceeds on the second Friday in October to a charity or nonprofit of their choice.
Many haunted houses are open throughout the weekend this year - the spooky fun doesn't have to stop at midnight on Halloween night!
During Saturday or Sunday evening, find a haunted house near you and go get that last good SCARE of the season!
Spread the word and make #Halloweekend a thing!
MCKAMEY MANOR
The ultimate in the haunted house experience currently in operation is McKamey Manor; a torture house and a pioneer of the notion of "extreme haunts".
Founded in San Diego, California by resident Russ McKamey, the haunt was originally located on his property.
The Manor is notoriously known for its simulated aggression towards its guests, who must sign a liability waiver to get in.
Employees of the Manor may physically assault patrons, hit them with vibrating toys, waterboard them, force them to eat and drink unknown substances, have them bound and gagged, or engage in other forms of emotional, physical, and psychological torture.
One journalist, Tara West, mentions that in the communities where it occurs, the residents' question how the attraction stays legal, even with a waiver.
The house permits just a handful of patrons to enter each weekend. Guests are not required to pay an entrance fee.
Instead, McKamey accepts payment only in dog food for his greyhounds and also for local animal shelters.
At the Tennessee location, eighteen-to twenty-year-olds can get in with parents' consent, or twenty-one and over. The Alabama location is twenty-one and over.
The tour can last from four to eight hours, and no guest has ever made it all the way through.
Despite previously not allowing safewords, McKamey says that guests have the option to use one that ends the experience immediately.
One of the volunteer guides detailed that the forty-page waiver signed by participants lists all of the possible risks endured.
These include a chance of getting a tattoo, and teeth being pulled as well as fingernails.
The house operates year-round, and there is a waiting list of over twenty-four thousand people! For completing the haunt, one earns a grand prize of $20,000.
But seriously, do you think that it's worth it?
DRAGON'S HOUSE OF HORROR
Currently, the longest walk-through horror house (indoors) measures 2,189.59 m (7,183 ft 8.4 in).
It was achieved by Dragon's House of Horror located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as verified on November 3, 2015. This record took two years of planning to accomplish.
JIKEI GENERAL HOSPITAL
Japanese horror (also known as J-horror) is well known for its scary stories and films.
In fact, a lot of their horror movies are recognized all over the world. If you are an avid fan of anything terrifying, Japan is definitely the place to go.
J-horror is a genre of horror fiction that arose from popular culture in Japan, generally noted for its unique thematic and conventional treatment of the horror genre differing from the traditional Western representation of horror.
One of the places you should look up is the Jikei General Hospital at Fuji-Q Highland in Japan’s Yamanashi Prefecture.
The haunt has the world's longest horror house walk-through, with a record 547-yd-long-walk-through designed by hospital architects in order to give it an authentic feel.
The attraction laid out just like a typical Japanese hospital. Jikei means "bloodcurdling" in Japanese.
What sort of Halloween events would you like to see in and around your local haunted house?
Why are you still reading this post? It's October, so go out and get scared!
@nationalhauntedhouseday
@mckmemanor
@dragonshouseofhorror
@fujiq
@nichecinema
