A Haunting We Will Go

A few new haunts to add to the list:

Middle of the month:

http://hauntedhouse.com/cgi-bin/search/go.cgi?id=5150

In Mountain view the Halloween Weekend:

http://www.dc-cemetery.com/

Outside Hollister

http://www.screamworks.org/

And of course PoE:

http://www.piratesofemerson.com/


And of course, if you want to be REALLY scared, spend a night at the famous Brookdale Lodge in the Santa Cruz Mountains. No special effects here, but a real haunted hotel. We used to got for water aerobics in the pool that had an underwater window which looked into the bar.

http://www.brookdalelodge.com/history/index.html

In the North Bay, there is the Dragon's Head Inn, it is in an all new location for 2006.

Dragon's Head Inn
1500 Valley House Dr.
Rohnert Park, California

http://www.dragonsheadproductions.com/

My favorite: Shipwreck on the Queen Mary. I have friends who absolutely will not go into the engine room during SW. That place is scary enough normally...

MCP

If you are talking out of the Bay Area, then hands down west coast.

Knotts Scary Farm.

THE BEST.

Yeah baby!!! But now so crowded that trying to get there is absolutely psycho on the 5 Freeway.

And now DL is doing this whole big Halloween/OK for families to be in costume thing. We're gonna go over there sometime this month and check it out.

But I love Shipwreck, it really is a creep-out in some places on board.

MCP

Hmmmm yet again we are going to be sooo close, Parrot!!! LOL DL ROCKS!!!

Wait! When are YOU going?
MCP

Okay, we're up to five now, so a quick review:

Pirates of Emerson (Fremont):

Awesome, pirates in character, laser simulated rigging on the ship, that's right a SHIP, and two awesome haunts complete with rotating tunnels. A don't miss in my book.

Swank Farms (Hollister):

Very awesome corn field maze and haunt, great scares, lots of fog and very polished sets. They also have teamed up with a vendor who has a lot of bizarre stuff, James got an Allosarus skull casting for a very reasonable price along with some Pirates stuff, we got some of that too. Very weird collection from real and cast skulls to prop replicas. Oh and just to make MK crazy, James also got a replica wooden rigging pin based on those from the Black Pearl, he plans to stick that in the belt of his pirate outfit.

Extreme Scream (Santa Clara):

Very high class operation, a TON of pneumatics including a life sized Headless Horseman (ON the HORSE, bucking and rearing up!), a rotating tunnel and very detailed sets. This is their first year, but they are here to stay and will only get better. Best of all they split up people into small groups for the best effect. Since they are kind of off the visible track in the industrial section of town, they are fairly quiet. But when word gets out that will change big time.

Usagi Farms (Morgan Hill):

Very outstanding corn maze, but a little TOO scary in the interior spots. The corridors are very narrow and wet burlap covers some walls, so it's kind of really icky, maybe a bit over the top and not exactly what the fire marshal would recommend, I suspect. Still, good scares, very effective use of people and props, and there is just something about a narrow path through seven foot high corn... *Shivers* The side show was excellent, but the wait very long as the VIPs were getting the line backed up. Don't get me wrong, I liked this haunt, but it's not for the faint of heart in any way, nor those with mobility issues. There are some spots where the ground is squishy as well that likely could contribute to ankle injuries if you're not careful.


Callson Manor (San Jose):

First year for these folks, a bit rough at the edges, but worth a look. Some nice effects and some good scares. The first weekend was a bit tough for them, they weren't entirely up to speed but we're going to give them another chance.


All in all, I'm not disappointed in any of them, and think they are worth the money the charge.

It will be on to the house haunts next weekend, most of those are only over the Halloween weekend.

For details on these and others in your area, go to http://www.hauntedbay.com/

Nahhh won't make me crazy at all....considering I HAVE an actual PIECE of the Black Pearl!!!

Speaking of haunting, may I just say it does my little Revan-incarnation heart good to see the main FanForce boards all Sithed out for Halloween?

It does rock.

Bwahahahahahaha

Final reviews if you folks plan on hitting any of these tonight:

Callson Manor

Okay, we gave this a second chance last weekend, still not up to speed. Too much money for too little payoff, not enough lighting, the fog machines were not, virtually no scares. One of the underage female ghouls was asking our friends, "How old do you think I look? I'm 13 but I think I look way older". Some nice scenes and sets, but not enough to make up for the faults, one of which is the "two people at a time" limit. When we waited up inside for our friends to catch up to point out some particular interesting details a staff member come along to rudely prod along us while another held them back.

That pretty much killed any remaining fun for us, we came to see their reaction, which turned out to be less than thrilled.

Final word: SKIP THIS ONE.

INSTEAD...GO TO PIRATES OF EMERSON if you get the chance, or Swank Farms, or the Extreme Scream in Sunnyvale, you'll get what you pay for.


A late review:

DC Cemetary (Mountain View):
This is a home haunt, or a display haunt, but WOW what a show!!! Very excellent animatronics and this year they addded a walk through corridor of horror. Not a long show or walk, but very professional and lots of nice surprises. Great use of lighting, grisley custom skeletons everywhere, and even though there were no live actors at all there were some very effective scares coming from unusual directions.

And get this: it's no charge. They have donation boxes out, but there is no pressure.

***** GO SEE IT!!!!!

Here's the link:

http://www.dc-cemetery.com/

And for those that can't get out, or still want more thrills, here's one of the creepest things on the web IMHO:

http://www.scifi.com/cityofdreams/episode05/episode05.html

An audio only thriller from JMS, the man who created Babylon 5. The link is for the best one in the series, but the others are pretty good as well. This serving stars Tim Curry and pays a little tribute to the old Bill Cosby "Noah" routine as well. Funny but very very scary. Turn off the lights and turn up the volume and give this gem a listen. You'll never view the internet the same ever again.

Just click on the link...

Trust me. *evil grin* You'll like it.

And while you're there, check out the others on Seeing Ear Theater on Scifi.com. Many a good tale to listen to while working on other...things. The Tales from the Crypt series is also fun, more funny than scary.

If you are staying at home, Comcast's On Demand is running THE GRUDGE, a nasty little tale about a house that is very unforgiving of it's past. Other classic scary films to peep at while waiting for the little monsters to ring the bell:

The Haunting
Jaws
Alien/Aliens
Silence of the Lambs / Hannibal
Army of Darkness
The Shining
The Thing (either version)
Dracula (the modern version, more sexy romance than scary, but still a good film)
The Ring
Feast (a Project Greenlight film, gory beyond belief, but funny moments punctuated by some real scares)
Shaun of the Dead (Utterly funny for those that get British humor)


One Final Final note, SciFi Channel's Ghost Hunters tonight will be broadcasting LIVE from the hotel that was the model for the one in Stephen King's THE SHINING. Don't know what they will see, but then with those guys you never know what's around the next corner...


And so, on this final day of the season of fright, happy haunting, don't forget to take lots of pictures.

Of the things that show up on film that is...

Gonna have to check that out as soon as I get home. Afterall ANYTHING with Tim Curry is right up my alley.