Some say it looks like Dracula's castle. Now, add a crisp, moonlit evening, and mix in 50 demons and devils breaking out of rusted cells and it becomes the perfect setting for a haunted house.
"You can't get any more creepy than this," said Myron St. John, who's in charge of terrorizing the former Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield. "It's like doing a haunted house on a $20-million movie set."
Not even Hollywood can match the haunted houses. Special effects, elaborate sets and exotic locations are turning what once were neighbourhood haunts into weekend destinations for those who love to scream.
In New Orleans, there's an old mortuary surrounded by cemeteries and the city's iconic above-ground tombs. Old Tucson Studios in Arizona transforms from a movie set to the spooky town of Nightfall, where a haunted mine and heckling gargoyles are certain to delight. And there's a pair of haunted houses in Kansas City, Mo., that end with terrifying slides, one dropping visitors five floors into the devil's arms.
"For us, it's a true theatrical production but the applause comes in the form of screams," said Amber Arnett-Bequeaith, whose family operates four haunted houses on the edge of downtown Kansas City.
Antique tractors take customers on hay rides to the different attractions where 150 actors roam about. Animals play a role too -- there are pythons and an anaconda at The Edge of Hell, and a live alligator inside the Beast. Watch out for the headless horsemen galloping on the streets outside.
Just within the last five years, haunted houses have become much more elaborate with innovations in technology, said Billy Messina, co-owner of Netherworld in Norcross, Ga., near Atlanta. It's not unusual to find people working on the attractions who have worked in film special effects and costumes.
"We have giant animatronic monsters that are 20 feet tall," he said. "People are used to seeing this at the movies. They want to see it here."
Some of the most popular haunted houses partner with hotels to offer packages that include tickets. Others offer the chance to bypass the lines, which can grow to two hours on busy weekend night in October
The old Ohio State Reformatory -- between Columbus and Cleveland -- has tours at Halloween and during the spring and summer. It's where The Shawshank Redemption and several other movies have been filmed.
It really comes alive during Halloween. The haunted house takes guests through the six-storey cell block and the basement morgue.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Ky., is another place that relies on its past to frighten anyone who enters. Perched atop a hill, it operated as a tuberculosis hospital until 1961.
"People say why don't you have a year-round haunted house," said owner Tina Mattingly. "I say 'I do. We just don't have actors in there year-round.' "
The fall tour includes a trip through the "body chute," a tunnel used to transport bodies out of the building.
"You could put nothing in there or fill it up with props, people will get scared," said Mattingly, who lives on the site with her husband while they restore the property.
Other haunted houses include:
- The USS Nightmare, in Newport. Ky., is a dilapidated 1934 steamboat on the Ohio River across from downtown Cincinnati. The massive steam engines and generators are part of the show.
"Disney, with all their artists, couldn't have made a boat look more spooky than this," said Allen Rizzo, a licenced riverboat captain who runs the attraction.
- The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, Calif., isn't technically a haunted house, at least not the kind with actors in costumes. It's worth mentioning for its quirkiness alone. Built by the Winchester rifle heiress, the mansion has doors that lead nowhere. It's also said to be haunted. Look for the stairs with 13 steps, the room with 13 windows, and a chandelier with 13 gaslights.
HAUNTED TIPS
It pays to call ahead. Haunted houses can be very busy on weekends, especially close to Halloween when waits can be as long as two hours. Wear comfy shoes; heels don't work while running from ghosts. The people behind the masks say the more you scream, the more they pursue you.
MORE INFORMATION
Ohio State Reformatory, Mansfield, Ohio, mrps.org. The Haunted Mortuary. New Orleans, themortuary.net. Old Tucson Studios. Tucson, Ariz., oldtucson.com. The Edge of Hell, Kansas City, Mo., edgeofhell.com. Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Louisville, Ky., therealwaverlyhills.com. USS Nightware, Cincinnati, ussnightmare.com.
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