Halloween Haunted Attractions

Now that October is here, Halloween is rolling around the corner. For the people who celebrate Halloween, that means costumes, candy, and scares. One of the best ways to get a scare during Halloween time is going to a haunted house. 

Haunted houses have been around since ancient times. According to America Haunts, ancient civilizations had their own versions of haunted houses to keep gravediggers away from the expensive treasures on the dead bodies. Ancient Egyptians would use traps to scare them to keep them away from the bodies. This was one of the earliest examples of people setting up traps to provoke fear. The evolution of Halloween and Halloween traditions started in the 1900s. According to Smithsonian, the origins of the haunted house date back to 19th-century London, where the attractions were used to show new forms of gruesome entertainment to the public. Now in the 20th century, there are an estimated 1,200 haunted houses in America charging for entry, according to History.com. Some are so scary that there have been reports of people having panic attacks and losing control of bodily functions. Within the years, haunted houses had spread across the country. 

Some of the scariest haunted houses in America according to CNBC are, “The Headless Horseman”, “Field of Screams”, and “The Dent Schoolhouse”. “The Headless Horseman” is located in Ulster Park, NY, set in an 18th-century historic manor that was originally a horse exchange. “Field of Screams” is located in Mountville, Pennsylvania, opened in 1993 based on a farm in Lancaster. “The Dent Schoolhouse” is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and was reportedly a real public school in 1894 and legend has it that it was the site of mass murder in the 1950s. There are many more popular haunted attractions all around the world. 

 However, the haunted house wasn’t a cultural icon until 1969 when Walt Disney decided to build one. According to Smithsonian, Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” was successful due to the “use of startling new technologies and effects”. Over the years haunted attractions have advanced in technology and scare factors, using illusions to project shapes and images to scare people. After Disney became famous for it’s haunted attraction, many other theme parks decided to make their own haunted houses. The popular theme park, Knott’s Berry Farm began hosting it’s own Halloween attractions once a year. Some haunted houses even raise money from their events. A large haunted house attraction can be estimated to make about 3 million dollars a year. 

Some haunted houses also tried to recreate horror films. As more horror movies became more popular, it fueled the demand for scary attractions. Horror fans wanted more realistic and creepy scares. Now, there are many forms of haunted houses including, zombie runs, escape games, and many more extremely scary experiences. 

From scaring tactics to ways to entertain people, haunted attractions have changed over the many years. Haunted houses have changed the face of Halloween and the way people see scares.