By David Hale
Every year, the ghosts and goblins come out to spook Utahns. Whether your greatest fear is getting lost in the woods or simply circus clowns, there is a haunt for you. With new spooks from Lord of the Rings to the classics Beetle Juice and risen corpses, haunted houses offer a variety of settings and prey upon a spectrum of fears. Here are a few of our favorites.
Nightmare on Thirteenth: Best Special Effects
With thrilling digital effects and bewildering mazes, Nightmare on Thirteenth takes haunting to the extreme.
Entering into total darkness, neon colors and black lights gives the feeling of entering into an underground world - one where anything can happen and does.
'We are way out in front of the competition as far as digital effects and sound,' said Troy Barber, owner and designer. 'We have an advantage over competitors because we have all year to build the sets in our permanent building.'
Nightmare on Thirteenth, formally known as the Institute of Terror, is in operation for its thirteenth year and due to the tragedies of September 11th has chosen a more suitable name.
'The word terror has taken on a new meaning and we want to be sensitive to that,' said Barber.
The haunted fortress is comprised of a maze of rooms and secret doors that lead to the unknown. Some of the designs are original and some of them are traditional features of haunted houses.
'Much expertise is put into the set design,' said Barber.
The digital effects such as Nightmare Theater and the automated Beetle Juice are incomparable to those of other houses.
'It''s not just people jumping out at you,' said Barber. 'It''s something you''ve never seen.'
The people who are hired to scare visitors, or spooks, go almost to the limit as they claw at bodies and hiss in faces. Barely being able to escape humans, frustrating mazes and haunted tunnels lead visitors running to escape or grabbing the person in front of them.
Among the darkness, the spinning light tunnel is in a league of its own. As one of the nation''s largest haunted tunnels, Nightmare on Thirteenth provides a variety of spooks that will ensure a scare for teens and adults alike.
The approximated time for the site is 40-45 minutes, but in actuality was only 20-25 minutes once entering the interior rooms. However, the outside wait takes about 30 minutes itself. Yet, Nightmare Theater provides plenty of anticipation for the following scares.
The cost of Nightmare on Thirteenth is $12 for adults and $2 off coupons are printable on their Web site www.instituteofterror.com. It is located in Salt Lake City off I-15 and the 1300 S. exit and the spotlights make it easy to find.
Rocky Point: Most Realistic
With more than 50,000 square feet of haunt and a cast and crew of 300 spooks, Rocky Point Haunted House, in Salt Lake City, brings classic Hollywood horror flicks to life.
Rocky Point takes the details of haunted attractions to a new level. From inches away, Leatherface, Texas Chainsaw Massacre looks very real. The make-up at R.P.H.H. is beyond belief.
The attention to detail is unparalleled in this attraction. R.P.H.H. brings in top Hollywood artists, to give the Psycho Circus a special, three dimensional touch that Stephen King''s IT does not quite achieve.
Realism is what Cindy Niel; director, designer, owner; was aiming for when she envisioned this years attraction. 'Light the Fear Within' has been selected as the theme this year, in honor of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
This highly acclaimed attraction has been named among the nations best for several years running.
'Out of all the haunted houses that I have been to, and I have been to a lot, Rocky Point is the absolute best,' said Don Shanks, who played Mike Myers in Halloween part 5.
The journey into your fears begins with a haunted graveyard, featuring dancing corpses, setting the tone for the journey that lies ahead.
Niel aptly lights the fire of fear and it burns long after you leave.
R.P.H.H. is located at 3400 South State Street in Salt Lake. Admission for Adults is $13, 12 and under $8. Discount coupons are available at 7-11 stores.
While it takes about 40 minutes to make your way through R.P.H.H. the images linger in you mind much longer. You can also extend your stay by including the Web of Mirrors as part of your visit to Rocky Point Haunted House.
Nightmare Mansion: Most Unique Setting
A quiet walk in the woods is redefined as Nightmare Mansion goes the extra mile to keep its visitors on their toes.
With its combined indoor and outdoor setting, this family-style haunting has a variety of rooms and paths that cover over five acres.
Compared to the other haunted houses reviewed, Nightmare Mansion is a more family-friendly environment that is suitable for a younger age group. The fear factor is not as intense as some of the other houses, but the spooks and props are especially realistic.
'I think we have the best spooks around,' said Jeff Pusey, owner and operator. 'They put a lot of effort into scaring people.'
We usually have between 23-30 spooks planted throughout the area every night, said Pusey. As owner, Pusey is concerned about the spooks'' safety as well as his visitors.
'We try and make it in your face entertainment, but we don''t want any confrontation,' he said. We have designed spaces where spooks can stay hidden and be safe if any problems arise.
The mansion theme is not overwhelming, but the woodsy setting and junkyard paths are extremely creative. The winding of paths in and out of the dark leaves visitors unaware of what will happen next.
'The existing woods and swamp are spooky all by themselves,' said Pusey, 'Our neighbors won''t go back there at night because they have heard strange things.'
We also have a lot of areas and rooms that other houses do not have. 'We wanted to go with something different,' said Pusey.
The Nightmare Mansion 'dot room' is one of the most impressive rooms in the haunted house industry, even more realistic than Rocky Point''s 'dot room.'
The total duration of the site is about 25 minutes, but the spacing of groups is frustrating because if the groups are too close together, the surprises are not effective, so walk slowly.
Because of the outdoor portions, warm clothes are recommended and the paths can get muddy if damp.
Pusey said he has redesigned the mansion to make it unique and is already working on upgrades for next year.
'The site is perfect for our ideas,' said Pusey, 'we tear it down completely each year and build it from scratch. We want it to be bigger and better than the year before.'
The Mansion donates a portion of their income to Toys for Tots foundation and has the US Marines come on various nights and pose as spooks to support the cause as well.
With a cost of $9, Nightmare Mansion is a great value and costs less than other haunted houses in the area. It is located on the border of Pleasant Grove and American Fork at 300 N. 2000 West.
Haunted Forest: Best Spooks
The Haunted Forest, in American Fork, began as an effort by a BYU and a Utah Valley State College student, to raise money to buy snowmobiles. Now, twelve years later, it has grown into one of Utah''s premier haunted attractions.
Robert Tillotson said he and co-owner Robert Ethington never really thought that the original attraction, located in Provo Canyon, would amount to much.
However, he now spends time almost year round building new animatronics and scenery to improve the Forest. Tillotson and Ethington build everything in the Forest.
Although preparations are year round, in late July Tillotson and Ethington really dive into setting up for the haunt season.
'There is something that you just can''t get to every year,' Tillotson said. 'But, you would never know, so we keep it for the next year.'
With the Forest covering more than five acres and three new areas, making an overhaul of nearly half of the attraction, you truly do not miss a thing.
It takes approximately 45 minutes to get through the Forest and it will keep you on your toes. The surprises you anticipate coming still manage to catch you off guard.
The spacing of groups is amazing; it feels as if you have the whole place to yourself, even on a Friday night.
The ambiance is what makes the Haunted Forest a unique experience. At this outdoor attraction, you feel as if you are truly wandering through the woods.
For two college students trying to buy snowmobiles, Haunted Forest, located just off I-15 exit 279, has become one of Utah''s premier Halloween attractions. The cost is $12 for adults and $7 for children ten and under. Discount coupons can be obtained through Haunted Utah at www.hauntedutah.com.
Haunted Forest''s cast of 60 spooks does an excellent job of making sure that you get the screams that you came for.
The Castle of Chaos
4650 S. Highland Drive
Salt Lake City
Adults $12 Under 12 $8
Spooky''s Alley
1806 South Sandhill Road, Orem, Utah 84058
Adults $9 Under 12 $5
Monday''s: Adults $6 Under 12 $4
Fear Factory
In Provo at 264 N. 100 West
$9 ages 8 and older
Spook Alley: To benefit Utah Food Bank
Free with one can of food
Open from Oct 25th to 31st from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. only
Located in West Valley at 4122 S. 6080 West