Last night, a team of us (okay, just me and two guys–gotta protect myself!) went to Mansion of Terror, the haunted house that’s billed as the scariest in Austin. And the #8 in the nation. Or the #1 by Lions Gate Films. Who knew film companies rated haunted houses? Anyway, it’s good.
So good that someone was leaving via EMS when we were waiting in line. Did someone faint? Real or the best publicity stunt ever? No one knows …
The night started with me standing in line, where I felt a small flutter of movement on the small of my back before this guy whispered something horribly creepy in my ear:
Terrifying.
We went into Blood Frenzy first, where they actually spray fake blood on you from some of the scenes. They offer raincoats, but those are for wussies. The haunted house was pretty long and definitely scary, with some insane mirror/light combinations that made me feel unsteady and like I was about to fall over. Which is kind of cool, in a scary way–but that’s why you’re there, no? The scenes were creative and gruesome, which made for scariness even when monsters weren’t jumping out at me.
Then we went into the other haunted house, Slaughter Circus. This was by far the better one, though shorter. It had creepy circus/childlike music playing, which was a nice touch against the horrifying scenes set out. More actors popped out at us, and these actors were intense: a chainsaw-wielding clown who cornered me and my brother against a wall after we emerged from the claustrophobia tunnel, a crazy woman who wouldn’t stop shoving a bone in my face, and the best: the siamese twins. These two girls would sing songs in a singsongy voice and then scream. When I laughed at this, one of them–seemingly spur of the moment–yelled out, “Why are you laughing?! I hope a truck smashes into your face!”
It was awesome.
I definitely recommend Mansion of Terror. I love Haunted Houses and this one/these two were probably the best I’ve ever been to, out of several in Austin, Houston, and Dallas. They’re open ’til 2am Halloween night, so you’ve still got plenty of time to get your terror on …
Slaughter Circus … hahaha.