Touted as the "#1 Haunted House in America" by AOL is the Nightmares group. These guys put on a great show every year, but while 99% of people attending the 2009 Nightmare: Vampires house in its new NoHo/Village location will be very, very scared and pleased, I had a problem with it.
The theme is vampires.
Yawn.
As you know, I'm still plodding my way through Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)
, and I am at a loss in the young adult section of bookstores — who's greenlighting the publishing of all these teen vampire novels?
, and I am at a loss in the young adult section of bookstores — who's greenlighting the publishing of all these teen vampire novels?So, basically, you can say that the vampire genre has drained the life of out me. But I've digressed a little.
Nightmare: Vampires is scary fun for brave ones 14 and older. You'll see an interesting, creepy too–short exhibit of vampire history throughout the world as well as tour through rooms of bloody vignettes. I was about to describe some, but that would be unfair.Parental Discretion Advised: in the dark, obscured by strobe lights, with his back to us, is a vampire simulating, well, uh, self–pleasure. It should go over most heads of any teen who is not practicing that… art. As yet. But when the actor is not doing that, he's very scary effective. There is another vignette of bloody dancing girls teasing the crowd behind glass with a label of "succubus"; if the teen knows the meaning of the word, then forget about it going over his head.
As for blood and violence — it's a vampire theme, stupid; faces are covered in blood — there's even a bathtub full of blood! If seeing red liquid simulating blood is not your thing, don't go. If you're into seeing the wit in a good scare, go — it'll be fun!
I like witty haunted houses, but not blood, so I much preferred 2008's Nightmare: Dreams Come True, where all the scenarios were more creepy instead of relying on bloody. Much more visceral and cerebral.
NOHO Event Center
623 Broadway at Houston
(enter on Mercer Street)
Tickets: $30 in advance; $35 at the box office
Sign up online to get earlybird discounts next year.
Another great house is at CUNY's New York City College of Technology's Haunted Hotel: Gravesend Inn. Created by Theatreworks, the school's resident theater group, is very imaginative and worth the trek down to the edge of DUMBO. Been around for 10 years. The best haunted house is really in Brooklyn!
Voorhees Theatre in the Voorhees Building
186 Jay Street
(north of Tillary Street — it's worth it to cross Tillary)
$6 adults/ $4 students (with ID)
Outside of the boroughs, these are my "one of these days" houses I plan to see:
Six Flags Fright Fest: how corny could it be? I gotta drive down to Jersey next year.
Long Island Fright Fest: three different houses on one property? Cool!
Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Penitentiary in PA: well, it gets great reviews nationally. I wonder if it's worth the drive on a dank fall day…
The only thing keeping you away, other than not having enough time or nerve, would be an empty wallet.
now continued by Eric Van Lustbader in 
or maybe they go the obvious route and read Colm Tóibín’s 
by J.R.R. Tolkien. I may pick that one up; Tolkien created such great characters and worlds. Any teen ready to tackle Tolkien should start with 
That’s the real beginning of 
Trilogy. Must read 
and 
plus either:
