New York is infamous for having some the best halloween celebrations across the nation; from ghoulish parties to haunted house, it’s hard to beat them when it comes to horrifying fright festivities. One of my favorite past times of the season, is to visit a haunted house and get my adrenaline fix of fear. In New York, no effect, no costume and no thrill is too thrilling when it comes to haunted houses. And not to worry if don’t have time to visit before the 31st of October, as many are open into November!
Boasting a total of 6 different haunts or ‘haunted houses’ the forest of fear is sure to provide a scare for everyone. No detail has been overlooked, from the ‘Carnival of the Damned’ where tormented clowns terrify, to chainsaw swinging ‘Craven Brothers’ chasing you around a barn-shed maze. Unlike many mainstream city haunts, The Forest of Fear is uniquely set within the more rural woodland area of New Jersey (a 45 minute drive from NYC.) So if the dark eery woodlands at night don’t scare you, we guarantee the haunt itself will. (Runs though Oct 30th)
Perhaps one of the best known haunted houses in NYC has to be Blood Manor…and for good reason! This haunted house goes above an beyond when it comes to a scare. Expect, a LOT of suprises, 3D painted nightmares and very convincing horrors behind the doors of this haunted house. Each room in the maze of this haunt leads to another unsuspecting thrill, from crazed psychopathic killers, to voodoo dementors and possessed demons that creep in the dead of dark. You will want to run through this one, but don’t; there’s an incredible amount of stage worthy special affects worth taking in. Prepare to leave shaken and stirred. (Runs through November 5th)
If you are looking for the real thing, it’s worth driving out to Sleepy Hollow; of the most infamous towns when it comes to ghosts, hauntings and headless horsemen. It is however also one of the most quaint and magical historic towns in the northeast. Take an afternoon to watch autumnal leaves fall on a walk around the nearby woods, stop by the cemetery (where you might just see the horseman himself) and then when dusk falls head to the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze. If the 7,000 individually carved, illuminated jack o’ lanterns, doesn’t satisfy your Halloween fix, be sure to visit the Horseman’s Hollow, a haunted trail of scenes from a town driven mad by the Headless Horseman. (Runs through October)