REVIEW: The Uninvited: Awakening - Skeleton Key Experience

The Uninvited: Awakening - Skeleton Key Experience
151 W 116th Street
New York, NY

The Uninvited: The Awakening is an immersive experience in the style of Sleep No More . Boasting a uniquely creepy environment within the historic architecture of Harlem's Graham Court Building, the Uninvited takes place in the seemingly unchanged cellar, which was once used as a turn-of-the-last-century stable. The vast basement is filled with a variety of horror sets from a room filled entirely with antique baby dolls to a dig-your-own grave room. The spirits trapped there provide you with company ranging from darkly comedic to chillingly uncomfortable. The immersive experience has a choose your own adventure feel to it and requires you to really explore your surroundings to get the most out of your time there.

The Skeleton Key Experience takes things to a more extreme level. The 2-hour experience begins like a general admission ticket, but after 45-min you are kidnapped by one of the spirits and locked into one of the many rooms. There are a variety of Skeleton Key Experiences, but they all incorporate an intensely dramatic monologue into an uncomfortable or terrifying activity. Depending on who kidnaps you, you might face being buried alive, strangled, or submerged in cold water.

IS IT SCARY?

According to the Official Website : “Yes. Our intentions are to give you nightmares for months to come. However, everyone’s interpretation of scary is different- so it will vary per victim. However, we strive to make you jump out of your skin."

The Raven & Black Cat says : The Uninvited has created an experience that can be tailored to the individual. From the biggest chicken to the bravest soul, the Uninvited: Awakening has something for everyone. Whether you're looking to be entertained or terrified is up to you.

WHAT WE LOVED

Chatting with the Lillians and the creepy static-electricity-loving clown will easily put you on edge. Look forward to getting up close and personal with the spirits hiding in the seemingly empty long dark underground hallways. Other highlights include the Skeleton Key Experience, the Antique Doll Room, and having your Tarot Cards read.

WHAT COULD BE BETTER

The historic basement environment was so amazing that I wished that the sets were more interactive and that there was more to explore. It would have been amazing if every drawer you encountered contained something repulsive or mysterious inside.

The Skeleton Key Experience would have been even more over the top if you were able to experience more than one "kidnapping." The experiences were so varied that you left wishing you got to experience more than one, but at the $100+ price point it is unlikely that many people will be willing/able to return for more.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Uninvited succeeds in creating a uniquely terrifying environment that allows visitors to choose the level of horror that they wish to experience. It is a ghastly good time.

 

REVIEW: IT FOLLOWS

Horror films like Cabin in the Woods and Scream have succeeded by taking typical horror tropes and cleverly exploiting them while winking at the audience.  It Follows uses several horror cliches to create a tense and frightening movie in a way that isn't 'meta' and never feels derivative.

Sex is used in this genre to identify who deserves to die.  Somehow the killer can sense who the virgin is and saves them for last?  Or perhaps it's the rush of blood to the genitals (and away from the brain) that makes fornicators easier prey.  In It Follows, it's simple and it's horror trope #1:  you have sex, and you're cursed.  This curse gets passed along by partners, but unlike the herp, once you've handed the curse along to someone else you're off the hook... unless your partner gets killed, then the hot potato gets passed back to you!  And what is the curse?  It.  It is the curse.  Is It a ghost, is It a demon?  We don't know what It is.

Here's what we know:  It can take the form of whomever It likes, It will relentlessly pursue you until It kills you, and oh yeah... It just kind of walks after you slowly.  That is horror trope #2: the plodding killer that we know will eventually catch up to its prey.  But unlike your typical slasher film, It Follows isn't filled with airhead teens tripping over conveniently placed hazards.  Our protagonist, Jay (played expertly by Maika Monroe) escapes often.  She gets on a bike, she gets in her car, or she just flat out runs.  But here's the difference - Jay will never really escape.  No matter how far she goes, It will find her.  It might take a while to get to her on account of the walking, but It will get there.

One of the ways It Follows separates itself from the typical horror movie is that we learn quickly that day or night, Jay is not safe.  In most films, the audience is given a respite from tension while the sun is up.  From the moment Jay became the object of Its attention until the end of the movie I was uncomfortable, on the edge of my seat, knowing that It could show up at any moment. 

Oh, and horror trope #3?  Only Jay can see It, to everyone else It is invisible.  So as we sit and wait for It to terrorize Jay, any character who comes walking along could possibly be It.  The only way we'll know things are safe is if any of Jay's friends can see that character too.  As the viewer, I spent the entire film anxious and constantly scanning the backgrounds of scenes looking for It.  Once I spotted someone who might be It, I found myself desperately needing to know if anyone else could see them besides Jay and me.  This is the huge success of writer/director David Robert Mitchell's film - I experienced the movie in exactly the same way Jay did.  I was nervous, jumpy, and questioning if what I was seeing was real. 

Is It Follows scary?

Hell yes, it's scary.  I've been looking over my shoulder ever since the movie ended, and I haven't even had sex with anyone.  I mean since the movie ended.  Not like... ever. 

Is It Follows good?

It's terrific.  Run, don't walk (see what I did there?) and go see this movie.

REVIEW: Gateway Playhouse (2014)

Gateway's Haunted Playhouse
215 South Country Road
Bellport, NY

Since 2009, the Gateway Playhouse converts its theater and grounds into an incredible group walkthrough haunt for the Halloween season. Spectacular sets are the first thing that jump out at you, with terrific attention to detail along with an extremely clever design and use of space. The second thing to jump out are the actors (literally!) whose makeup and performance are all top notch. Combine this with a great outdoor area where you can eat, drink, and wait for your opportunity to be the haunt's next victim, and you are in for the ideal October night out.

Is It Scary?

According to the official website : "This attraction is not for the faint of heart"

The Raven & Black Cat says : There were screams a'plenty coming from the groups around us, and the fantastic environment makes for the perfect creepy environment.

What We Loved

While any haunt will attempt to appeal to your senses of sight and sound, Gateway did not forget about smell and touch. In a room with an electric saw wielding maniac, I could feel the heat being generated by the sparks of the saw against a chain link fence. In rooms with gore, it stunk like rotting meat. These 'little things' are critical in heightening the experience. There was a room full of body bags hanging from the ceiling that we had to navigate - the bodies were seriously heavy. The details can either keep you in the moment or derail you if they're missed, and Gateway absolutely excels at this. Other highlights included an outdoor maze that was claustrophobic despite being out in the open air, and terrific puppetry/animatronics. Gateway did a fantastic job of using set pieces, effects and actors as misdirection to draw your attention away from where the real scare will come from.

What Could Be Better

On the night we attended, Gateway was mobbed with visitors and as a result the pacing of our haunt was off. Despite lingering in rooms, we kept running into the group ahead of us and getting run into by the one behind. The actors tried their best to maintain spacing by holding us up in certain spots, but it didn't work.

Final Thoughts

Gateway's Haunted Playhouse is massively popular and it's easy to see why. Amazing sets and great acting create a haunt with just the right level of creepiness that is perfect for a fun Halloween night. Gateway continues to be one of our favorite haunts and well worth the drive from NYC.

Why We Find Extreme Haunted Houses Empowering

A response to Stephanie Sylverne’s article “Extreme Haunted Houses Aren’t Cool – They’re inhumane.”

We love Halloween. All of it – the history, the whimsy of pumpkin picking and bobbing for apples, and the ability to make yourself feel more alive by stepping outside of your comfort zone. We freely admit that we are adrenaline junkies. We love the adrenaline rush we get from performing on stage and we love the adrenaline rush we get from extreme haunted houses.

Extreme haunted houses provide a safe environment to test your physical and mental limitations within the realm of a fictional immersive theater experience. We have attended many extreme haunted houses (including the infamous off-season events of Blackout Haunted House) and we have never been placed in any real danger. 

That being said, we are both women in our early 30s (one of us is even a mom) and we take our safety very seriously. We do not sky dive, bungee jump, or participate in events like the Tough Mudder extreme obstacle mud run because we are unwilling to risk our safety. 

Extreme Haunted houses like Blackout and Freakling Bros create the illusion of an out of control experience, but the reality is that every moment is precisely planned and monitored. The actors are trained to handle different scenarios and many have backgrounds in stage combat and professional wrestling. This illusion allows you to push your boundaries and face your darkest fears in a safe environment where no real harm will come to you. Nearly all extreme haunts have a safe word. If the experience becomes too much for you then you say the safe word and it’s over. McKamey Manor is the one exception. They do not have a safe word and all participants are aware of that fact before they enter. No one enters an extreme haunt against their will.

The psychological aspect of these experiences allows you to project your deepest fears on the subject matter, which can be very personal and unsettling, so it is perfectly understandable that survivors of abuse like Ms. Sylverne might find the thought of these simulated experiences appalling.

Extreme Haunted Houses are not for everyone. Fear is subjective and affects everyone differently. I sleep just fine after visiting an extreme haunted house, but I can't watch horror movies like Hostel, Silent Hill, or the Saw franchise because they give me nightmares. So, I believe that it's inaccurate to suggest that extreme haunted houses exist solely because our society has become desensitized and dead inside. Everyone is different and it’s important to know your limits before you participate in any kind of extreme activity. 

Extreme Haunted Houses are what you make of them. We find it very empowering that we are able to withstand the simulated violence and horror scenarios that others cannot. The adrenaline rush you get from playing the role of the lone survivor in a simulated horror movie comes with a sense of accomplishment and pride for having challenged your fears. Standing up to our fears makes us feel powerful and we’d like to think that in some small way our experiences in extreme haunted houses might help us to remain calm in dangerous real life situations. And it’s fun. Because it’s not real. It’s make believe, but when it’s over you return to your life with perspective and a deeper understanding of who you are.

---

In the future, we encourage news publications and journalists writing about these events to contact the haunt owners directly or speak to someone who actually participated when it comes to the content of these shows. Just because you think something happened, doesn’t necessarily mean that it did. There are numerous theatrical tricks that can be used to create illusions and the haunt owners can discuss how they safely create the moments that feel very dangerous.

REVIEW: Nyctophobia

Nyctophobia

Anywhere

Long Island, NY

Nyctophobia 2014 was like stepping into a Lynchian nightmare where garbled sounds and blurred visuals gave way suddenly to eerie scenes that drove forward themes of loss, longing, regret and obsession. An interrogation scene managed to get under my skin without being intimidating, but by forcing eye contact while probing my thoughts on love and failure.  I couldn't help but feel vulnerable throughout the haunt, though a highlight was being guided through an open field with my vision impaired by scratched goggles.

While Nyctophobia deprived me of my senses to make me uneasy, it also directly assaulted them with great success. The smell... oh the smell of one gentleman I encountered inside the haunt...  just awful. And this is coming from someone who lives in NYC (subways, cab drivers, hipsters!) If I was not thoroughly creeped out by the first 90% of the haunt, the ending climax was enough to push me over the edge with understated acting that ranks with the best that I've experienced.

Final Thoughts

Nyctophobia is an intense immersive experience, but the intensity comes from the subject matter, from playing with your senses, and from the terrific performances inside the haunt.  It was never overly aggressive, nor did it rely on jump scares, but it was still one of the more affecting haunts of the 2014 season.

Nyctophobia's 2014 Season

October 10 - October 26

Age Requirements

Not appropriate for children. No one under 16 permitted. You must enter in pairs, but you will be separated.

Additional Information

• Official Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• 2011 Review
• 2012 Review
• 2013 Review