You must do exactly as you are told.
You must be 18 years or older and you must walk through alone. You will be required to sign a liability waiver. You may scream but absolutely no other speech is allowed. You will be given a safeword should you need to be escorted out, but once you call out the safeword you have no option but to leave.
You may not touch the actors, but they can touch you. Once inside you will encounter fog, strobe lights, complete darkness, crawling, stairs, loud noises, water and physical contact, as well as sexual and violent situations.
Haunted houses are a tried and true Halloween tradition in the United States. Each year people go to their local haunts for a good old-fashioned scare. Creators strive to give their patrons something new to scream about so that we never experience the same thrill twice in a row. Some places even use live rats and roaches to give their scenes that extra edge.
Some new haunted houses are going to extremes. But how extreme is too extreme?
Blackout, an immersion-style haunted house with locations in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, is one example of this new “scare extreme.” Instead of presenting a story for patrons to view as they walk through darkened passage ways while actors pop out for unexpected scares, the newest haunted house fad forces customers to live out their fears with sadomasochistic style of antics.
Online reviewers claim they encountered everything from standing in six inches of water while additional water was being poured on them, having a bag put over their heads and then being licked on their ears and mouth, kneeling down next to an actor while they simulated going to the bathroom and then forced the customer to put the “feces” inside their own mouth, and even being forced to dance with a naked man.
Sure, you sign a waiver beforehand saying you understand what you’re going to encounter, but with extremes like this, how do we know we’re really safe? How do you know that the actors won’t go too far?
If live vermin are used, then how do you know if the place is up to health and safety codes? There is a pretty big difference between being scared for the sake of being scared, and being scared that you are in harm’s way. The former is fun. The latter is terrifying in a very bad way.
The owner of Blackout, when asked in an interview with Downtown Traveler if they changed the bags that were put over patrons’ heads for each visitor, refused to answer the “specific” question, and simply said, “Having said that, the experience is safe and sanitary and that’s all we’ll say about that.”
The easiest way to know how safe your fear-inducing experience will be is to ask – and demand answers. Regardless of how extreme the haunted house is, the management should be happy to answer your questions.
If you have to sign a liability waiver, such as Blackout, or even some haunted houses in Kansas like The Beast and Edge of Hell, require, it isn’t unreasonable to ask if your host has all their safety and zoning certifications up to par.
If the event is handicapped accessible, the codes they must have in place are stringent. Even Halloween events meant to terrify us should have a standard operating procedure for escorting panicked patrons safely out of the main thoroughfare.
Being safe isn’t just the responsibility of the establishments. Each person bent on “getting scared” needs to be responsible for themselves as well. If certain ideas trigger panic attacks, assume that you have been warned and make your choice accordingly. If the place uses live rats, and you can’t be in a room with real life vermin, then you may want to choose to visit a different haunt.
Have fun, but be careful, when you get your “Eek!” on.