By Caroline Santiago
Rocky Point Haunted House, which has been named the No. 1 haunted attraction in America for the last two years, began its 22nd season this month, said Cydney Neil, owner of Rocky Point.
Last year 55,000 people attended the haunted house, said Neil. Some traveled from as far as Virginia or California for the experience.
Rocky Point is a haunted house with three-dimensional rooms, mazes, caves and all the classic scary characters.
This year the house is bigger and better, Neil said.
The house has spiced up its old rooms and added a new attraction this year, Scarassic Park.
Scarassic Park, based on the hit movie 'Jurassic Park,' allows visitors to experience face to face the danger of the island.
Another attraction, the Swamp Thing, rests in a lake built in the middle of the house.
'The Swamp Thing was a good set because, as I walked across a bridge with murky water under me, Swamp Thing suddenly lunged out of the water below after me,' said Holly Hunt, 20, a junior majoring in public relations from Kingwood, Texas.
The haunted house also used the tactic of human interaction to scare its visitors.
There are over 80 to 85 actors just waiting to scare attendants in the house, Neil said.
Actors hide behind every corner and follow guests from room to room.
Freddy Krueger, Jason, Leatherface, Dracula and Frankenstein are a few of the characters who haunt the house.
Gunnar Hansen, who played Leatherface in the original 1974 horror movie 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre,' signed autographs during the house''s opening weekend.
Gunner travels across the country, touring and appreating at haunted attractions.
'In comparison to other haunted attractions Rocky Point is more sophisticated in design,' he said.
Over the past three years Rocky Point has donated $100,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Salt Lake, said Christine Willmore of Rocky Point.
This year Rocky Point will also be collecting donations for the American Red Cross at the ticket office and plans to match all contributions, she said.
Rocky Point Haunted House is located at 3400 South State Street in Salt Lake and opens at 7:30 p.m.