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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Birthday Murder Mystery Costume Ball


My Birthday Murder Mystery Costume Ball was an incredible success! I had so much fun and now we're just a few days away from Halloween! Only 3 more days!!



Monday, October 11, 2010

Pumpkinhead

I really have to stop letting my fiancĂ© choose the horror movies we watch. Our most recent cinematic treat was Pumpkinhead from 1988. This movie is about a man who goes to the local witch to conjure up a demon so that he can go all 'Pet Sematary' on his young son who was just accidentally killed by a group of teenagers passing through the area. The demon looks more like an alien and for me the scariest parts were the disgusting looking witch and the similarities to 'Pet Sematary,' both of which are over after the first part of the movie. Pumpkinhead is a bad horror flick. 



REVIEW: Blood Manor vs Nightmare: Superstitions

BLOOD MANOR

542 West 27th Street
New York, NY 10001

For Tickets Click Here

**SPOILER ALERT: This review contains details of this year's performance***

The gore, chainsaws, and murderous maniacs I was missing from Nightmare: Superstitions were delivered in a major way at Blood Manor early Sunday Morning. I arrived with a friend around 1am and bypassed the long line thanks to goldstar.com's discounted RIP Express Entry Tickets.

Upon entering the house, you are surrounded by kitschy haunted mansion decor and animatronics. This gives you a false sense of security. You think you know what to expect, but you definitely do not. The animatronics distract you from the actors lurking in the other direction. While Blood Manor was not nearly as long or as large a production as Nightmare: Superstitions, there was one major difference that, for me, gave Blood Manor the edge.

At Nightmare: Superstitions the actors kept telling you that "they're going to get you" or "you're going to burn in hell" it was almost always a warning that something was after you, but it hadn't arrived yet. At Blood Manor, there was no question of who was after you when the pitch back room was suddenly brightened by a strobe light and you saw a maniac with a chainsaw running towards you. The actors at Blood Manor were great at startling visitors and their improvisational skills provided terrifying and relevant banter. It was clear that each one was after you and many of them explained in detail what they wanted to do to you. They also very smartly split up large groups inside the house so it would be easier to scare the guests. Overall, Nightmare: Superstitions targets more cerebral fears and during my journey through their epic production I only jumped once and nearly gagged twice. At Blood Manor, I screamed several times. The Pig Butcher and the Cannibals were intensely frightening, and despite the not so great 3-D section, I have to say that Blood Manor was scarier because of one room. Clowns with Chainsaws.  I look forward to what they have in store for next year.




Thursday, October 7, 2010

October 2010: Day 7

Looking forward to more halloween activities this weekend. Spooky home decor, murder mystery planning, pumpkin decorating, horror movies, and a visit to Blood Manor. I'm interested to see how Blood Manor compares to Nightmare: Superstitions.

I'm so excited that October has 5 Weekends in it this year. There's time for a whole weekend's worth of halloween activites.

REVIEW: Nightmare: Superstitions


NOHO Event Center
623 Broadway @ Houston
(Enter on Mercer Street)

A Haunted House not for the faint of heart.

For Tickets Click Here
**SPOILER ALERT: This review contains details of this year's performance***

Nightmare: Superstitions is a 37 minute long theatrical experience. Upon arriving at the NOHO Event Center, you climb several flights of stairs, have your picture taken with a statue of the virgin mary shedding tears of blood, and then take your place in line.

The first attraction to test your bravery is a 'Fun House' themed opener haunted house filled with creatures from the 'big top' gone wrong. There is nothing more terrifying than witnessing a clown birth/gynecological exam.

After surviving the 'Fun House,' you meet with a nurse who gives you advice on how to get through the asylum alive. Having the nurse jot down everyone's name before they enter the Superstitions Asylum is a nice touch.

After speaking with the nurse, your group enters the asylum  and the door closes behind you.

Each room of the house is based on a different superstition. Some of the most successful and terrifying rooms are:

"See A Penny, Pick It Up"
"A Broken Mirror Brings Seven Years of Bad Luck"
"When Your Ears Burn, Someone is Talking About You"
"Step On A Crack, Break Your Mother's Back"

The different rooms within the asylum were hit and miss. To get the full experience make sure that you are at the front of your group. Anyone near the back can miss some of the performance. My only advice to the creators of 'Nightmare' Haunted House would be to focus less on the length of the house and try to make the groups going through it smaller. It makes it so much scarier when there are only 3 other people experiencing the house with you than when there is a group of 8.  Overall, I really enjoyed Nightmare Superstitions. I typically find crazy mass murderers with chainsaws scarier than superstitions, but Nightmare: Superstitions is definitely an improvement over last year's Vampire themed house. I look forward to what they will come up with next year...