Blackout 10 (Haunted House Review)

My last Blackout review ever. The original and first extreme haunted house experience: Blackout is counting down on their final shows of  their large scale Halloween haunt here in NYC. So this is probably the last time I write about it. Blackout is like an old friend who wants to reminisce about the old glory days, nostalgia the fuck out of doing wild and crazy shit and immersing yourself in being the protagonist of your own horror...

Categories: blackout, blackout elements, blackout haunted house, blackout house review, extreme haunted house, halloween, haunted house, haunted house reviews, new york city, nyc haunted house

Bane Haunted House (Haunted House Review)

There is a a new top dog in NYC for the traditional haunted house. And its name is Bane Haunted House. In the far west side of Manhattan sits Bane Haunted House and after moving here from Jersey they are now scaring New Yorkers with a dizzying amount of jolly jump scares from some enthusiastic actors and a haunted house maze that was perfectly confusing and so much fun. In the roughly 30 minute or so walkthrough, you'll go through some nicely...

Categories: bane haunted house, extreme haunted house, halloween, haunted house, haunted house reviews, new york city, nyc haunted house

Nightmare: I Can't See (Haunted House Review)

In the shadow of 1 World Trade Center is the doorway above for Nightmare NYC's I Can't See, Tim Haskell and Psycho Clan's latest Halloween immersive theater horror experience. I've attended every variation of Nightmare since 2009 when they unleashed Vampires, Superstitions, Fairy Tales, The Experiment, Killers and This is Real. What I've always loved about every incarnation are the themes and dedication to making sure everybody who goes are immersed...

Categories: halloween, haunted house reviews, I Can't See, new york city, nightmare haunted house, nightmare new york haunted house, nightmare NYC, nyc halloween haunted house, nyc haunted house

Triple Threat (Review)

Triple Threat  Directed by Jesse V Johnson At one point on this site I was going to replace the Van Damme spin kicks rating system with Tony Jaa elbows to the head. I was digging Ong Bak and all the Jaa muy thai action paloozas he was making. I figured the system should evolve. Then The Raid: Redemption came out and Iko Uwais was bashing heads and taking on one million thugs to 1 and that would mean an update to the rating logo. I'm keeping...

Categories: action cinema, chocolate thai action, Iko Uwais, Jean Claude Van Damme, JeeJa Yanin, ong bak, the raid redemption, tony jaa

Gravesend Inn Haunted Hotel (Review)

There isn't a a lot of haunted houses in NYC. Some get infamy like Blood Manor, others are doing different things. However, there is always one every year I seem to never go to that's on various site site lists and that's Gravesend Inn Haunted Hotel. So I decided to trek out DUMBO and finally cross this haunt off my NYC haunted house bucket list because I clearly wasn't going to go to Randalls Island for a boring hayride again. The Gravesend...

Categories: brooklyn, gravesend inn, halloween, happy halloween, haunted house, haunted house reviews

House 7A: A Haunted Encounter (Review)

via House 7a Facebook page I'll admit, it's a bit odd going to a haunted house in September. It's a a bit too warm to get into the Halloween spirit but when a Twitter follower told me about House 7a at Governor's Island I figured I should check it out. It's never to early to get your haunt on. Funded on Kickstarter House 7A, is a free "daymare" haunt (as it runs form 12pm-5pm) on the island. Groups of 8 enter the very cramped little house 7a...

Categories: governors island, halloween, haunted house, house 7a

New York Haunted Hayride (Review)

I've been to many haunted hayrides. I've been to Field of Screams (Yay!), Waldorf Estate of Fear (Nay!), Reaper's Revenge (Yay and Nay) and Legends of the Fog. So I think I know what's good and what's not. What's good is when you have those enclosures or barns that the hayride stops in and forces the riders to feel trapped then zapped with what horror the creators thought up. What's good is the actors getting up close and personal,...

Categories: halloween, happy halloween, haunted hayride, haunted house, new york city

The Ladies of the House (Review)

The Ladies of the House Directed by John Stuart Wildman I was a little hesitant when I saw the trailer for The Ladies of the House. Was that....Belladonna in the trailer? Err I mean not that I watch porn or anything but I do watch pornstars in horror movies. And from past experience, it usually turns out kinda eye gouging horribly bad. But let's not judge a movie by its cover or even by its trailer. Hence watching Ladies was and odd horror-copia...

Categories: belladonna, exploitation, exploitation film, independent cinema, indie horror, pornstar, the ladies of the house

It Follows (Review)

It Follows (2015) Directed by David Robert Mitchell There is a subtext in It Follows that harkens back to the horror cliches of sex = dead. But mostly in other generic mainstream horror, it's a scene does in haste and is usually followed by a stab stab stab. It Follows does the opposite. Teenagers do teenage stuff and then the movie lingers. And the lingering creates a horror movie that shows us the consequences from boy and girl and...

Categories: cult classic, david robert mitchell, indie film, indie horror, it follows, Maika Monroe

Ranking Blackout Haunted House 2010-2014

Happy Halloween! 2014 seems to be the year of the extreme haunted house. Mainstream media and sites are covering haunts like Blackout, McKamey Manor, Freakling Bros and others writing articles for and against (mostly against). I've given you the 5 Basic Levels of Haunted Houses. There is just a type of person that loves the extremeness of it all. But as more extreme haunts begin their initial inception, let's talk about the one that seems to...

Categories: blackout, blackout elements, blackout haunted house, extreme haunted house, halloween, haunted house, haunted house reviews, new york city, nyc halloween haunted house, nyc haunted house, theater, vortex theater

Reaper's Revenge Haunted House (Review)

I thought I was done with my haunted house road trips. In total, I've been to 7 already this month. But  when opportunity arises to go to 1 more, who am I to say no? So I found myself near Scranton, PA and with family in tow I dragged them to a haunt that touts itself as America's Best Haunted Attraction. It's a bold strategy Cotton let's see if it pays off for them. And does it?  After going to Reaper's Revenge, it kinda does. Reaper's...

Categories: halloween, happy halloween, haunted hayride, haunted house, haunted house reviews, pennsylvania, quarantine, reapers revenge, rednecks, zombies

Gateway's Haunted Playhouse 2014 (Review)

You never really know what you'll expect when you go to a haunted house. The night before you go, you start dreaming up worst case scenarios, the unthinkable, the WTF. These dreams become nightmares, frightmares and terrifying dreamscapes. When you wake up, you start to realize it's all in your head. Your mind playing tricks on you. Then you head to the haunted house. Relatively ready and prepared that none of what you dreamed up couldn't actually...

Categories: dream ending, gateway haunted playhouse, halloween, happy halloween, haunted house, interactive theater, long island, new york city, play, theater

Nyctophobia 2014 (Review)

The first question in Nyctophobia's FAQ is: What is Nyctophobia? The answer they provide: Correct. Well that's just vague and odd. Some clarity would help I think. But that's the beauty of Nyctophobia. You're not going to get a straight answer. What you experience is a mystery hidden in another mystery. It's a journey that's both visceral and immersive that its hard to even explain after you've gone through it. And you know what else it is? It's...

Categories: dream ending, ghosts, halloween, happy halloween, haunted house, immersive theater, interactive theater, long island, nyctophobia