The premiere edition of Hallowblog for the 2010 haunt season was originally published on Tuesday, September 14, 2010. This entry served double duty — it both recapped the 2009 season and speculated on where we might go in 2010. Re-reading this so many years later, reminded me that we used to conduct a lot of repeat trips from season to season. I won’t say that I regret that strategy because it was informative in its own right, but adhering to such a schedule, without a doubt, cost us other experiences over many seasons.
In more recent years, I’ve grown to prioritize attractions that I’ve not yet had the pleasure to witness. This strategy has served me well, but is not without drawbacks — often it results in longer car rides and touring less attractions.
So it begins once again, I know this because I saw it. Oh my friends, take in a lungful of that rapidly approaching fall air for the haunt season will soon beckon us once more. On my way to work this morning I noticed a display of corn stalks outside of a gas station and just down the road from there I was pleasantly surprised to see Lincoln Park’s modular haunt, Anxiety Alley getting ready for another season of screams.
Today was a fun and special day for me haunt brethren because today truly marked the beginning of the haunt season. Each September I wait to see those signs that summer has faded to fall and today I witnessed a great number of omens. On my drive home from work I couldn’t resist the pull of my annual Fear Finder hunt even though in my heart I knew it to be too early for the annual rag to appear. I was urged on though by a flight of fancy and the happy memory of discovering it at a local BlockBuster last year as early as September 16th. Alas I did come up empty in my search but the Fear Finder will be out soon enough nevertheless and haunt freaks everywhere shall rejoice.
During this trek however I also stopped off at various local drug stores to check out their Halloween supplies — this too has become something of an annual rite of passage the last few years. I quite enjoy the products that the drug store chains carry, any home haunter with some creativity could really deck out their yard or porch with props bought entirely at these establishments and it won’t break the bank. You certainly aren’t going to find the same type of variety or gore that a Halloween retail shop like Halloween USA might offer but you can pick up some nifty items at a bargain price.
Alright haunt fiends I have a lot to get to so you might want to grab yourself a tasty brew or some filling grub before you dare to venture forth. If you’re all set we can proceed and take a brief glimpse into the horror filled nights that thrilled us last season. Follow me through the portal of the mind.
2009 Haunt Season Rewind
The 2009 haunt season was yet another banner year for Hallowblog and the Haunt Trinity. We visited a total of 12 haunts last year shattering the previous record of 9 set in 2008. We began the season on Friday, September 25th with a visit to Jackson’s Underworld in Jackson, Michigan and the Homer Mill in Homer, Michigan. Jackson’s Underworld turned out to be an utter flop while the Homer Mill failed to live up to the standard it had set in 2008. The Haunt Trinity was disappointed but our search for quality haunts would pay off the following week.
On Friday, October 2nd we sought out a trio of Downriver haunts that delivered the goods. The Scream Machine and Extreme Scream both in Taylor as well as The Lab in Grosse Ile reversed the curse placed upon us the previous week and from there the October magic was on. The following Friday we experienced a wild, haunt romp at Deadly Intentions in Warren where zombies were out in full force and then when rain derailed our trip to Haunted Farm of Terror we found ourselves at Armada’s Haunted Hollows. We had not a clue that we were about to step into the 2009 Haunt of the Year but suffice it to say we were treated to a unique alchemy of the creepy and bizarre.
Friday, October 16th had the Haunt Trinity heading south of the Michigan border for a fun night at a couple of Ohio haunts. After a brief delay in which Jason’s car ran out of gas we arrived at TerrorTown with high expectations for the 2008 Haunt of the Year, House of the Dead. While we did enjoy the nightmarish offers of TerrorTown it was clear that the field was wide open for 2009. Next we traveled to Fremont, Ohio home to Crazy Bob and the Haunted Hydro. It was a new experience for us and one that we immensely enjoyed.
After a one week break we reenergized for our final outing of the season on Friday, October 30th — Devil’s Night. We began the night with a visit to Wyandotte’s HellBlock 13 which turned out to be a gritty and well paced effort by the Jaycees. We turned our sights next to the incomparable Realm of Darkness in Pontiac. As usual the beleaguered kingdom delivered a mess of haunt memories. The night grew late as we raced to Lenox Township for a second crack at Haunted Farm of Terror. Once there the weather took on a decidedly October quality which enhanced the atmosphere of the haunted house and helped to propel the haunted hayride into an instant classic.
So how do we top such a landmark season? Well my friends it’s all in the planning and your master of ceremonies has the blueprints.
2010 Haunt Season Schematic
I had a lot of time on my hands this summer and I spent most of August trawling all things Halloween late into the night and I believe my labors will bear fruit. I discovered a lot of new websites which had invaluable information on a slew of frightfully tempting locations new to the Haunt Trinity. I also took time to peruse several industry publications including HauntWorld Magazine. I purchased a copy of said magazine and I’ll detail my opinion of it in a future edition of Hallowblog. Finally my nightly web trips brought me back to Rotting Flesh Radio which is a podcast that covers all things related to the haunt industry. All of this delightful research has helped me plan and prepare for the upcoming haunt season so what say you we get to the heart of the matter. Below I’ve compiled a list of possible outings each accompanied by a short synopsis of just what each night could offer the Haunt Trinity.
Downriver Haunts: It’s become a staple of the haunt season to spend at least one night sampling the best that Downriver has to offer. The benefits of such an outing are two-fold typically saving us both time and money. Plus there’s an absolute abundance of locations to pick from starting with favorites like The Scream Machine and Extreme Scream to perennial dark horse candidates like Realm of Haunted Minds and the offerings of the Wyandotte Jaycees. There’s also a number of modular haunts in the area that could yield a good bang for the buck. One noteworthy omission from this years Downriver scene is The Lab which will apparently be closed for the 2010 season. I shot them an email earlier today and received this prompt response:
“Unfortunately we’ve lost the location and we weren’t able to get another for this season. We are optimistic that we will be back in business next year! Thanks and have a great haunt season.”
I have further inquired for specific details. When I have more information I’ll relay it to you my haunt brethren.
A Night in Armada: A return trip to Haunted Hollows is very much desired in order to see if it can defend its crown as Haunt of the Year. There’s also a haunted hayride here which we weren’t able to enjoy last year. A trip here also puts us ridiculously close to Blake’s and Slaughtered at Sundown which both feature a haunted house and haunted hayride. Such a trip has all the makings of a Haunt Trinity classic.
The Haunting and Darksyde Acres: Since our somewhat disappointing visit to Adrian’s The Haunting in 2007 there has been interest in returning during the heart of the season as opposed to the discount preview weekend we experienced three years ago. Darksyde Acres in Jonesville isn’t exactly close to The Haunting but all of my information suggests that this could be one hell of a location which featured three separate attractions last year.
The Lure of Pontiac: The Realm of Darkness has a new location which might just be enough intrigue to draw us back for a fifth consecutive season, plus we skipped mighty Erebus last year so it might be worth it to plan another October outing in Pontiac.
Strike Flint: This is another night that would require some driving but once there we would have several haunts to choose from including The Deadland, The Crypt, and Cellblock 13 and St. Lucifer’s Haunted Asylum which are located at the same place.
Columbus Bound: During my aforementioned in depth August research I read extensively at an Ohio haunt site called City Blood. There I came across a great number of intriguing haunts in that state and one of the most noteworthy was Dead Acres also known as The Haunted Hoochie in Columbus. There are plenty of others in and around Columbus as well so if all factors are in place this over night road trip could become a Haunt Trinity reality.
Other haunts of interest are literally all over the map but here’s a sampling of the notables: Deadly Intentions which recently posted on their website that guests will receive a $10 refund upon completion of the haunt. It’s an interesting gambit for Deadly Intentions which has routinely criticized other haunts for similar gimmicks. I hope Deadly doesn’t spoil its smash mouth, old school approach with a bullshit gimmick but if it’s a genuine offer it’s something we’d definitely want to put on our schedule.
Long distance haunts of interest include The Haunt in Grand Rapids, Niles Scream Park in Niles, Michigan, and Night Stalkers in Millington. In Ohio there’s Ghostly Manor in Sandusky, 7 Floors of Hell in Cleveland, and of course those the Haunt Trinity has previously visited TerrorTown, Chainsaw Creek, and Haunted Hydro.
Well haunt fiends I think that’s plenty for the premiere issue of this years Hallowblog. Leave me your thoughts and stay alert for further posts.
