REVIEW: Nightmare: New York

Nightmare: New York
107 Suffolk Street
New York, NY

Nightmare Haunted House has a new theme after retiring two years of serial killers. This year the scares are inspired by the real life horror and urban legends of New York City. Journey back in time to be cursed by the Lenni Lenape indians and fight your way through the crazy homeless people, drug dealers, and sexual predators of Ed Koch's New York. Along your way you'll also encounter mole people, Typhoid Mary, sewer alligators, and giant rats.  

Is It Scary? 

According to the Official Website: “Yes. This isn’t a theme park ride. The whole purpose is to scare you. We have worked long and hard to create the most horrifying experience possible. Get ready for your adrenaline fix.”

The Raven & Black Cat says: Nightmare: New York brilliantly displays the real and imagined situations that keep your relatives in fear of the visiting the big city.   

What We Loved

The 1980s subway car set and the Dakota room are both gorgeous and filled with compelling actors to put you on edge. Opting to have a bloody red X painted on your forehead will allow the actors to touch you. Look forward to getting up close and personal with Typhoid Mary and the Headless Horseman.  

Other highlights include a sensory deprivation maze, Uncle Touchy's Tunnel of Love, and meeting the giant Rat King.  

What Could Be Better

The amazing subway set is just asking to be the scene of a mugging. Throughout that entire scene I just kept asking myself, "Why is no one getting mugged?" That would be scary. 

Another missed opportunity is not dedicating a room to every New Yorker's worst fear: BED BUGS. Forget roaches! Imagine a room covered in faux bed bugs and then the lights go out and oatmeal (or literally anything) is sprinkled on you as if you might be taking some of them home with you. Chills. 

Final Thoughts

Nightmare: New York is another solid offering from creator Timothy Haskell. History and urban legend combine to put you face to face with your worst inner city nightmares.

Nightmare: New York 2014 Season

September 26  - November 1

Ticket Information

Timed Ticketing:  $30.00 Online  |  $35.00 At The Door

VIP (Front of the line access): $50.00 Online  |  $60.00 At The Door

DISCOUNT TICKETS

• $20 Student Rush Tickets Available 1 Hour Prior to Listed Start Times.
• Sunday, October 5th: Military Night – half off for all military personnel all night long at the Box Office.
• Wednesday, October 8th: Public Servants Night – half off for all police, FDNY, EMT, etc at the Box Office.
• 50% Off Timed Ticketing & VIP Tickets - Click Here!

Age Requirements

Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. No children under 10 will be admitted. 

Additional Information

• Official Website
• Facebook Page
• Twitter
• Youtube
• Flickr
• 2013 Review - Nightmare: Killers 2
• 2012 Review - Killers: A Nightmare Haunted House
• 2011 Review - Nightmare: Fairy Tales
• 2010 Review - Nightmare: Superstitions

GIVEAWAY: 1 Ticket to Nightmare Killers 2

New York City's Nightmare Haunted House celebrates its 10th year with Nightmare: KILLERS 2, a continuation of Tim Haskell and Steve Kopelman's smash hit serial killer haunted house. Expect terrifying encounters with a whole new cast of psychopaths, including Harrison Graham, Aileen Wournos and Charles Manson. KILLERS 2 opens September 27th and runs through November 2, 2013 in NYC. 

We are thrilled to announce that Nightmare NYC will be awarding a ticket to one very luck reader of The Raven & Black Cat. 

Read Our Review of Killers: A Nightmare Haunted House (2012) 

 

The deadline to enter is 12:00 AM on October 4, 2013.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click Here to enter using your mobile device. 

Nightmare: KILLERS 2

AT THE CLEMENTE SOTO VELEZ CULTURAL CENTER

(107 Suffolk Street, NYC)

September 27 - November 2

Tickets: $30.00 - $60.00

Additional Information

• Official Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Youtube
• Buy Tickets
• Visit Timothy Haskell’s blog
  

  

 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eovcv-Iq9V8?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&enablejsapi=1&w=640&h=480]

Christmas Haunted Houses!

Celebrate the season by dragging Halloween into December. The 13 Days of Creepmas are in full swing and there are two Christmas themed Haunts in the NY/NJ area to get you in the Creepmas spirit. 

Nightmares Haunted Attraction in Passaic, New Jersey becomes Christmas Nightmares for 3 Saturdays on December 1st, 8th, and 15th from 8-10pm. Explore Santa's workshop and hope you get out alive.  Tickets are $20.

Nightmare (Before Christmas): The Experiment returns for a second year! This new and expanded version of Nightmare: New York's audience participation haunt  runs December 7th - 23rd at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center on the Lower East Side. Tickets are $30.

REVIEW: Killers: A Nightmare Haunted House

Killers: A Nightmare Haunted House
107 Suffolk Street
New York,NY

For 2012, Timothy Haskell has teamed up with Steve Kopelman to create what they describe as “a horrifying, immersive, haunted house experience.”

Is It Scary?

According to their Official Website:  “The most haunting experiences are those that are real. There is nothing more frightening than the monsters that walk among us.”

The Raven & Black Cat says:  Damn straight.  Last year, when Nightmare asked us to write down what we find most terrifying, we gave them a tip: serial killers. The contrast of brutal, methodical, carefully crafted murders perpetrated by someone who could be the clean-cut boy-next-door, is enough to send us to bed clutching a security blanket and kitchen knife. The intense creepiness of these real-life monsters, portrayed by top-notch actors in detailed, realistic settings combined with some very effective startle scares, is a state-of-the-art design for nightmares.

What We Loved

When you visit haunted houses night after night, you tend to see a lot of similar rooms and themes.  “Killers” is unlike any other attraction. It provides a starkly real glimpse into the life and mind of a cold-blooded killer and invites you to play the victim. You don’t have to imagine the terror of  Jack the Ripper grabbing your throat, pushing you up against the walls of dark alley. Here, the actual sensation is available. It’s always a touchy subject in the haunt world, but giving individuals a choice of whether or not they will be touched ensures the right combination of safe and edgy for everyone. And those who choose to allow touching will appreciate how sparingly it is applied. The haunt designers know well that the anticipation is as important to the experience as the actual moment you are physically drawn into the action.

The costumes, sets and makeup are unnervingly realistic, especially John Wayne Gacy’s house. Nothing is exaggerated for dramatic effect. From the outside it could have been any house in Middle America…until you’re behind closed doors.  When you’re dealing with real-life horror you have to walk a fine line and Nightmare is careful not to sensationalize or glorify these tragic events. In one room, a victim’s mother asks “Why did you come here? These are real people. Why are you here?” and for a moment, your heart really does break. Despite the theatrical focus, Nightmare still includes some shocking special effects and fun startle scares. Our favorite moments include a trash bag full of body parts hitting the floor, the Jeffrey Dahmer trial, and a, shall we say “whacky” grand finale that will send you running for the exit.

What Could Be Better

In the Andrew Fish section, the audio recording is nearly impossible to hear over the noise in the other rooms. Our group huddled in the corner and missed the video while trying to figure out what was going on. This could be avoided by having an actor tell the story or using additional speakers. I would love to briefly smell something foul when Pogo opens the trap door. If you’re hiding 26 bodies beneath the floor, it’s certainly going to provide some sensory evidence. For any audience members not familiar with the killer, this would provide a clue as to what’s really going on down there. 

Final Thoughts

We love and respect that Nightmare is willing to take risks. Last year, Fairy Tales was incredibly fun but more performance art, than haunted house. This year, Nightmare has combined a top-notch theatrical experience with the scream-inducing horror their audiences have come to expect. It’s intelligent, artistic, terrifying and hopefully, a blueprint for the haunted house of the future. 

Killers: A Nightmare Haunted House Runs

September 28th - November 3rd

Ticket Information

• Timed Ticketing: $30 (online) or $35 (at the door)
• VIP (Front of the Line Access): $50 (online) or $60 (at the door)

Discount Tickets

• 50% Off Timed Ticketing & VIP Tickets - Click Here!
• $15 - $20 Student Rush Tickets Available 1 Hour Prior to Listed Start Times.
• Military Personnel Night: Sun., Oct. 14th - Buy One Get One Free w/ Military ID.
• Public Servant Night (Policeman, Firefighter, EMT, ect.): Wed., October 10th - Flash your Badge to Buy One Get One Free.

Age Requirements

Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. No children under 10 will be admitted.

Additional Information

• Official Website
• Facebook Page
• Twitter
• Youtube
• Flickr
• Buy Tickets
• 2011 Review - Nightmare: Fairy Tales
• 2010 Review - Nightmare: Superstitions

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2048.0"] Jack the Ripper/ Photographer: Joshua Hoffine[/caption]




[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640.0"] Elizabeth Bathory/Photographer: Joshua Hoffine[/caption]




[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="640.0"] John Wayne Gacy/Photographer: Christopher Brielmaier[/caption]




[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1000.0"] H. H. Holmes/Photographer: Christopher Brielmaier[/caption]

GIVEAWAY: 2 Tickets to Killers: A Nightmare Haunted House

Nightmare: New York is back with a vengeance. Killers: A Nightmare Haunted House is a serial killer themed haunted house located in downtown Manhattan. We had the opportunity to experience it this past Thursday and it is a chilling masterpiece of horror theatre.  We are thrilled that Nightmare: New York will be awarding 2 Tickets to one very lucky reader of The Raven & Black Cat.

The deadline to enter is 12:00 AM on  October 16, 2012.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHaeA8MjbK0?fs=1&feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&enablejsapi=1&w=640&h=360]

REVIEW: Nightmare (Before Christmas): The Experiment

Nightmare (Before Christmas): The Experiment
Los Kabayitos Laboratorio
107 Suffolk Street
New York, NY

To celebrate the holidays, Nightmare creator Tim Haskell is presenting Nightmare (Before Christmas): The Experiment, an extended and revamped version of the second part of October's Nightmare Fairy Tales. What was a 15-minute assault on the senses is now a 50-minute interactive theatre performance that manages to involve nearly the entire audience in a series of 10 fear-based experiments. As the performance progresses, a strange sense of community develops in the room full of strangers as each audience member becomes a lab rat.

Is it Scary?

According to their website: " It will be like being in one room in a very scary haunted house that you get tormented in for 50 minutes."

The Raven & Black Cat says: Fear is subjective, but you are pretty much guaranteed to cringe, gag, shudder, and/or squirm uncomfortably in your seat.

What I Loved

There is a lot to love. Not only are the experiments delightfully creepy, but the performance is infused with humor. Many of the funniest moments are courtesy of the research team's "corporate sponsors." Other highlights include: a brief (but amazing!) video, a unique take on Santa Claus, and watching the reactions of fellow audience members.

What Could Be Better

We noticed some small opening weekend hiccups, but overall this unique interactive theatre piece is holiday horror perfection. We hope that Nightmare (before Christmas) becomes an annual event. We'd love to see a walk-through style haunted house with a Christmas theme.  

Final Thoughts

The Experiment combines humor and fear to create repulsive holiday fun. Don't miss this special holiday gift.

The Experiment Runs

December 9 - 23rd

Discount Tickets

Full Price Ticket Prices
Admission: $20.00

• $10 Tickets - Click Here!


• $12 Admission with Promo Code: FB1 


• $12 Admission with Promo Code: LABRAT

Additional Info

• Official Website


• Facebook Page


• Twitter


• Buy Tickets

Get Your Tickets For Nightmare (Before Christmas): The Experiment

Hooray for Off-Season Haunts!

We are super excited to attend Nightmare (Before Christmas): The Experiment on Decemer 11th!  This haunted house for the holiday season opens on Friday. Make sure to get your tickets!

Running time for The Experiment is 50 minutes!

 

Nightmare (Before Christmas): The Experiment Runs

December 9th - 23rd

Discount Tickets

Full Price Tickets: $20

• $10 Tickets - Click Here!


• $12 Admission with Promo Code: FB1


• $12 Admission with Promo Code: LABRAT

Additional Info

• Official Website


• Facebook Page


• Twitter


• Buy Tickets

The 'Nightmare: New York' Theme for 2012 is...

Nightmare: New York announces a Serial Killer theme for 'Nightmare is Killer' in 2012.

Nightmare: Z-Day Tickets Are Now On Sale

Nightmare: Z-Day

Bronx, NY

Official Site   Facebook Page   Follow on Twitter    Nightmare: Superstitions Review

  

Tickets are now on sale for Nightmare NYC's haunt in the Bronx, Nightmare: Z-Day!

Click Here to buy your tickets!

A New Logo For Nightmare: Fairy Tales

Nightmare: Fairy Tales

New York, NY

Official Site    Facebook Page    Follow on Twitter    2010 Review

Nightmare: Fairy Tales has released their logo, location, and opening and closing dates for 2011! Check out their facebook page for contests and promotions.

Two Locations For Nightmare: Haunted House in 2011?

It looks like there may be two locations for Nightmare Haunted House in 2011! Creator Timothy Haskell tweeted on May 1st, "manhattan haunted house location secured and Bronx about to be."

Will there be a second version of Nightmare: Fairy Tales in the Bronx? Or will it be an entirely new haunted house? According to their facebook page, the announcement will be made sometime this week.

"Like" your favorite NYC Haunted House on facebook

While we're waiting for more information about the NYC Halloween Haunted House Spring Haunt let's see what NYC's other Haunted Houses are up to according to the most recent posts on their facebook pages.

Nightmare: Fairy Tales:
"where are our Bronx fans at? we have some news for you..." - April 8, 2011

"It looks like we are going home to the lower east side. More to come. Very happy." - March 16, 2011

For more Nightmare updates, check out Nightmare creator and director,Timothy Haskell's blog here.

Blood Manor:
"going to bigger and better places!!" - November 28, 2010

Steampunk Haunted House:
"next year's plans are under way, stay tuned..." - December 9, 2010

Fear on 21st Street:
"If you didn't get to go to Fear on 21st Street this year, don't worry because it will be back next Halloween!" - November 1, 2010 

2011 Nightmare Haunted House Will Pull Terror From Your Favorite Fairy Tales

Timothy Haskell just announced the theme for his 2011 Nightmare Haunted House in NYC.

I love this theme. I applaud the choice. There is such a vast amount of timeless material to choose from.  Many of the most well known and loved fairy tales have horrific and gristly details that have been toned down or edited out over the years.

Here is my list of original Fairy Tale moments I hope to see incorporated into next year's house:

Cinderella's Stepmother ordering her 1st daughter to cut off her toe and the 2nd to cut off her heel in order to fit into the golden slipper. Then pigeons peck out their eyes.

Hansel & Gretel's disgusting witch living alone in a gingerbread house in the woods with an appetite for children.

Little Red Riding Hood filling the wolf's opened body cavity with great stones and then watching him try to run away.

Alice in Wonderland lost in a land of lunatics where nothing is as it seems and local royalty has an obsession with beheadings.

The Miller from The Girl Without Hands cutting off his daughter's hands by order of the devil.

Sleeping Beauty is raped by the prince while she sleeps for a hundred years.

The Red Shoes worn by the peasant girl who dances until her feet bleed and begs to have her feet cut off.

Rapunzel's prince having leapt from the tower lands on thorns below and is blinded.

Snow White's Evil Queen forced to dance to death wearing red hot iron shoes.

Discovering that your childhood 'Happily Ever Afters' are just a pretty lie is truly terrifying...

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.

REVIEW: Nightmare: Superstitions

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...

Purchased My Tickets For Nightmare: Superstitions

 I purchased my tickets for Nightmare: Superstitions. I am so excited. We're going one week from today! The NYC haunted house is located in NOHO Event Center and this year is set in an insane asylum. So creepy. I have high expectations. I thought last year's Nightmare Vampires was only ok, but they really did a great job in 2008 with Nightmare: Ghost Stories. Their take on superstitions, bad luck, and the criminally insane should up the scare factor.

Nightmare: Superstitions

The last two years I've made NYC's Nightmare Haunted House a part of my month long Halloween celebration. This year it's entitled Nightmare: Superstitions.

NEW YORK’S MOST HORRIFYING HAUNTED HOUSE

Now celebrating its seventh year, NIGHTMARE is a unique, fully immersive haunted house experience. Set in an insane asylum, NIGHTMARE: SUPERSTITIONS forces you to break a superstition in one room and suffer the terrible consequences in the next. AOL Cityguide’s No. 1 rated haunted attraction in New York City, it delves deep into the psychology of fear. Now featuring a second attraction, FUN HOUSE.

Yes, it’s scary.

NIGHTMARE: SUPERSTITIONS is located at NOHO Event Center, 623 Broadway at Houston (enter on Mercer Street).


Use Code: Early for $20 tickets for regular tickets in advance. Expires: September 23, 2010