Encore Weekend!

Just when you thought it was safe and Halloween was shoved back into the crawl space for 11 more months.

Not so fast…

Ladies and gentlemen; it’s ENCORE WEEKEND!

Still have the itch? Well, don’t worry, there still another chance to satisfy your cravings! Check out these haunted attractions that are still open!

Fear Itself at Legend Skream Park in Mishawaka, IN, is open:
-Friday, November 5, 2010, from 7pm-Midnight (EST)
-Saturday, November 6, 2010, from 7pm-Midnight (EST)
For More Information: http://www.fearitself.tv

Raven’s Grin Inn in Mount Carroll, IL, is open:
-Every night of the year, from 7pm-Midnight (CST)
For More Information: http://www.hauntedravensgrin.com

Dark Stalkers at the Screamatorium in South Beloit, IL, is open:
-Friday, November 5, 2010, from 7pm-11pm (CST)
-Saturday, November 6, 2010, from 7pm-11pm (CST)
-Sunday, November 7, 2010, from 7pm-11pm (CST)
For More Information: http://www.trailofscreams.com/dark.cfm

Make sure you tell them that Haunted House Chicago sent you!

Keep Screaming!

People's Choice Haunted Houses for 2010

Congratulations to the Chicagoland haunted houses voted into the top ten spots in the People's Choice category (votes are cast by the users of HauntedHouseChicago.com):

01	Disturbia - Torment of Fears
02	Statesville Haunted Prison and City of the Dead
03	Reaper's Realm Haunted Attractions
04	Psychosis Haunted House
05	Nightmares: Basement Of The Dead
06	Asylum Xperiment
07	Midnight Massacre Haunted House
08	The Fear Haunted House at Navy Pier
09	Amhurst Asylum
10	Sweet Dreams Haunted House

Haunted House Chicago's Official 2010 Top 13

The witching hour is close at hand. And before we say farewell to another Halloween season, it is time to unveil Haunted House Chicago's Official 2010 Top 13, as chosen by our Review Team.

After an all-time high of reviewing exactly 50 attractions and traversing 3,194 miles this season, here is our list of the best around:

1. Statesville Haunted Prison & City of the Dead in Crest Hill, IL
2. Realm of Terror Horror Experience in Round Lake Beach, IL
3. Wisconsin Feargrounds in Waukesha, WI
4. Fear Itself at Legend Skream Park in Mishawaka, IN
5. Nightmares: Basement of the Dead in Aurora, IL
6. The Fear Haunted House at Navy Pier in Chicago, IL
7. Dream Reapers Haunted House in Melrose Park, IL
8. Niles Haunted House Scream Park in Niles, MI
9. Dark Side Haunted Adventure in Ixonia, WI
10. Spook Hollow & MC Manor in Marquette Heights, IL
11. Amhurst Asylum Haunted Attraction in Valparaiso, IN
12. Spider Hill in Chillicothe, IL
13. Asylum Xperiment in Villa Park, IL

Please join us in congratulating these outstanding haunted attractions!

2010 Jim Warfield Acting Award Recipients

Haunted House Chicago would like to formally congratulate recipients of the
2010 Jim Warfield Acting Award:

Lindon Warren as "Mr. Pan"
Performing at Realm of Terror in Round Lake Beach, Illinois

AND

Jake Gesse as "Me"
Performing at Amhurst Asylum in Valparaiso, Indiana

Please join us in congratulating these outstanding Actors of the Year!

Halloween 2010

We made it. Another Halloween is finally upon us! AND just when we thought we were going to have spend it in our shorts and flip-flops, Mother Nature rears her head and the Earth begins to freeze once more.

As we celebrate this special time of year, take some time to reflect on the true history and meaning of Halloween.

Take a look at this article from History Channel’s Halloween history:

Halloween, celebrated each year on October 31, is a mix of ancient Celtic practices, Catholic and Roman religious rituals and European folk traditions that blended together over time to create the holiday we know today. Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity and life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. Halloween has long been thought of as a day when the dead can return to the earth, and ancient Celts would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off these roaming ghosts. The Celtic holiday of Samhain, the Catholic Hallowmas period of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day and the Roman festival of Feralia all influenced the modern holiday of Halloween. In the 19th century, Halloween began to lose its religious connotation, becoming a more secular community-based children's holiday. Although the superstitions and beliefs surrounding Halloween may have evolved over the years, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people can still look forward to parades, costumes and sweet treats to usher in the winter season.

You can read more here: http://www.history.com/topics/halloween or here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

So, whether this Halloween season was about trick-or-treating, haunted housing, dressing in costume, carving pumpkins, or parties, we hope that it was everything that you hoped for and more!

Thank you for joining us this and every season! We hope you enjoyed reading our articles and content as much as we enjoyed providing them.

From all of us at Haunted House Chicago to all of you and yours, we wish you a very safe, haunted, and Happy Halloween!

AND stay tuned for the announcement of the 2010 Critics Top 13, Jim Warfield Acting Award recipient, and the 2010 People’s Choice Award!

Devil's Night 2010

What mischief are you planning on getting into? Almost every haunted attraction in the book is open.

Where will you scream tonight?

Four More Days of FEAR at Navy Pier!

See What Chicago's Screaming About!

Find out for yourself why Haunted Attraction Magazine named The Fear one of the "Top 25 Must-See Haunted Houses in the USA", why Fox's Breakfast Club called it "A Must-See" and why TimeOut Chicago gave The Fear 5 out of 5 Stars.

Visit The Fear website for a coupon worth $5.00 OFF NAVY PIER PARKING and bring it to The Fear's ticket booth!

FOOD & DRINK SPECIALS: Grab coupons at The Fear website to take advantage of special food & drink specials being offered at Harry Caray's new Navy Pier location!

HHC People's Choice Award

Time is running out! Vote now for your favorite!

Ready to Rock & Roll

Our programmer has given us the "All Clear" - you should be able to register/log in, rate, review and vote for your favorite haunted house! Happy Haunting this weekend!!

Website Issues with HauntedHouseChicago.com

Hi, folks - we are aware that the website is acting weird and our programmer is working diligently to get it fixed up. Stay tuned, and sorry for the inconvenience.

New Award

Haunted House Chicago is proud to announce the addition of a new category to their award system.

Currently, we offer two categories of awards:
-Haunted Attraction of the Year: Critic’s Choice
-Haunted Attraction of the Year: People’s Choice

Starting in 2010, we will be adding an annual award for the best haunted attraction actor or actress.

Because of his outstanding contributions to this field, the award will hereby be dedicated and known as:

The Jim Warfield Acting Award

Since 1987, Jim Warfield has been guiding groups of tours through his one-of-a-kind 19th century home, Raven’s Grin Inn. Besides being the designer and decorator, Jim is also the main star of his attraction, in which he performs multiple vaudeville-esque routines nearly every night of the year. Relying on wit and wisdom, Jim entertains thousands of guests annually with humor and history.

Description & Criteria

Entertaining patrons of a haunted attraction is one of the toughest jobs around. Since each individual has a different set of fears, actors and actresses rarely have more than a few moments to capture one’s attention.

This award is to recognize the best actor or actress from each haunting season who has excelled above and beyond in their individual performance.

This award is eligible for any employee from every attraction reviewed by the Haunted House Chicago Review Staff, with exception to ownership/top level management.

Stay tuned for the announcement on October 31, 2010!

October Has Arrived!

October is back and the haunting season is finally upon us! Almost 75% of all area attractions are open this weekend. So, here's a quick run-down of who's open:
(Please check each attraction for individual dates/times/hours, etc.)

Iowa
Davenport Jaycees (Davenport)

Illinois
Disturbia Torment of Fears (Addison)
Sweet Dreams (Alsip)
Nightmares: Basement of the Dead (Aurora)
Fear Asylum / Screamatorium (Belvidere/South Beloit)
Haunted Mansion / Asylum 13 (Bolingbrook)
Abyss @ Dollinger Family Farm (Channahon)
The Fear at Navy Pier (Chicago)
Spider Hill (Chillicothe)
Asylum of Mad Dreams (Cordova)
Statesville Haunted Prison / City of the Dead (Crest Hill)
The Scream Haunted Adventure (Decatur)
Haunted Hovel (East Moline)
Evil Intentions (Elgin)
Psychosis Haunted House (Elgin)
11th Hour (Elk Grove Village)
X-Treme Hauntings (Fox Lake)
Six Flags Great America (Gurnee)
Satan's Portal (Joliet)
Jonamac Orchard Haunted Corn Maze (Malta)
Mazon Dungeon of Terror (Mazon)
McHenry Jaycees Haunted House (McHenry)
Dream Reapers (Melrose Park)
Raven's Grin Inn (Mt. Carroll)
Hotel Massacre (Naperville)
Torment at Twelve Hundred (Orion)
Fear Factory (Rantoul)
Haunted Haven (Rock Falls)
Skellington Manor (Rock Island)
Realm of Terror (Round Lake Beach)
St. Charles Haunted House (St. Charles)
Dungeon of Doom (Zion)

Indiana
Reapers Realm (Hammond)
Fear Itself/Legend Skream Park (Mishawaka)
Amhurst Asylum (Valparaiso)

Michigan
Niles Scream Park (Niles)

Wisconsin
Dr. S. Cary's Haunted House (Fort Atkinson)
Terror on Rural Street (Hartford)
Hubertus House of Horrors (Hubertus)
Dark Side Haunted Adventure (Ixonia)
Mars Haunted House (Milwaukee)
Monster Mayhem (Milwaukee)
Haunted High School (Oconomowoc)
Racine's Factory of Fear (Racine)
Hartford Jaycees (Slinger)
Haunted Barn (Stoughton)
Wisconsin Feargrounds (Waukesha)
Hauntfest (West Allis)
Meadowbrook Pumpkin Farm Haunted Cornfield (West Bend)
Shockwave Haunts (Whitewater)

Have a safe and frightful weekend!

Opening Weekend

For a good number of haunts out there, it is officially opening weekend!

For those that are looking to get a jump on the season, here's what's open this weekend:
(Please check each attraction for individual dates/times/hours, etc.)

Illinois
Dream Reapers (Melrose Park)
Dungeon of Doom (Zion)
Raven's Grin Inn (Mt. Carroll)
Satan's Portal (Joliet)
Sweet Dreams (Alsip)
X-Treme Hauntings (Fox Lake)

Michigan
Niles Scream Park (Niles)

Wisconsin
Haunted Barn (Stoughton)
Hauntfest (West Allis)
Meadowbrook (West Bend)

Have a safe and frightful weekend!

Updating for the 2010 Haunt Season

Our programmer tells us he's ready to implement all the tweaks and updates we've requested for HauntedHouseChicago.com for the 2010 season. This will include a vastly improved and more intuitive interface, wiping 2009's ratings and reviews to make way for 2010's, and a host of other little touches and tweaks that'll make the site... well, just plain BETTER. If it acts weird today, be patient - it's having its brain replaced!

IGOR! PUT THAT BRAIN DOWN! Sorry, folks - gotta run...

2010 Haunting Season Primer

Hello Haunt Fans! As the grill still sizzles, football begins to grace our televisions, and the weather quickly turns from 90 to 60, one doesn't need many reminders that fall is right around the corner. Technically speaking, the celestial season doesn't start until September 22nd, the autumn equinox. (It is also the first preseason game for the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks.) BUT, everyone knows the REAL "season" starts Labor Day weekend. Haunt Season is finally upon us.

As each Haunted Attraction dusts off their cobwebs... or applies more, props are being tuned up and actors trained for the next two months. What can we expect this season? First guess is: The bar to be raised. Each year, haunt owners try to out-do each other and this year should be no different. EXCEPT that with some new players & old veterans in the game this year, competition is expected to be at its finest.

Lets take a look at some thoughts for the 2010 Season.

The Cake
First, another round of applause for the 2009 Critics Choice, Realm of Terror in Round Lake Beach, IL, as well one for the 2009 HHC Users Vote Choice, Disturbia: Torment of Fears in Addison, IL. How will they follow up to the outstanding year they each had?

Return of a Legend
The man, myth, and genius who brought The Asylum Experience to Berwyn, IL, is back... and so is his house! After joining forces with the chainsaw-wielding Spike Mike, Dave Link and company not only come roaring back into the industry after a 10+ year absence, but also do it by taking over the Odeum in Villa Park, a long-time classic haunt location. Billed now as the Asylum Xperiment, the nightmares of lunatics will run wild once again.

Loose Ends
There are a few things we didn’t get to say at the end of last season, but didn’t forget about.

First, congratulations to the Wheaton Jaycees. As they hung up their masks after the 2009 season, memories from their attractions through the years will live on in the patrons that have experienced the methods of their madness. A job well done to Jeff Barcalow and company.

We had two haunts that had new locations in 2009 that we didn’t get to properly recognize. Dungeon of Doom should be settled nicely in their new industrial factory in Zion, IL. As they begin their 2nd year, expect the terror levels to rise and the show to get even more intense. AND Evil Intentions should be able to “close the lid” on any problems as they begin their 2nd year in their 1890’s casket factory. (No, not a prop company.)

Congratulations to Niles Scream Park in Niles, MI, who welcomed their 1,200,000th patron on October 19, 2009! (Yes, that says 1.2 million)

Lordy, Lordy: Look’s Who’s 40!
Congratulations to the Lombard Jaycees who begin their 40th year of haunting in 2010. (And no, that is not a typo!) As the longest-running haunting attraction in our area, we at Haunted House Chicago salute you and hope you have another 40 more! Keep up the great work!

Not too far behind them, the Brookfield Jaycees celebrate their 34th year of haunting! AND last, but not least, Haunted Trails Frightmare is celebrating their 20th year of haunting as well! Congratulations to everyone on the years of fright!

Silver Screams
From the minds (& bodies) that brought you Statesville Haunted Prison, City of the Dead, and Fear at Navy Pier, comes a new feature-film complete with comedy, horror, and Robert Englund! (Yes, kids, that’s Freddy Krueger.) Check out: The Moleman of Belmont Avenue at MoleManMovie.com.

Welcome to Hollywood
Congrats to the Dream Reapers crew for being featured on Travel Channel’s October 2009 edition of “America Haunts”.

Also, congratulations to the Zombie Army Productions team for their Zombie Prom being featured on G4’s, “Attack of the Show”!

Magazine Mentions
Congratulations to Amenti Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb, IL, Fear Itself in Mishawaka, IN, Wisconsin Feargrounds in Waukesha, WI, Fear at Navy Pier in Chicago, IL, and Statesville Haunted Prison in Crest Hill, IL, for being recognized by 13th Hour Magazine in their 2009 Showcase of Haunts.

Additional congratulations to Wisconsin Feargrounds, Fear Itself, and Fear at Navy Pier for being featured in Haunted Attraction Magazine’s 25 Must-See Haunts.

Even more congratulations to Raven’s Grin Inn in Mt. Carroll, IL, for being featured in Chicago Magazine. (Did you know Raven’s Grin has also been featured in Time Magazine and on PBS, and the National Geographic Channel, to name a few?)

AND a final congratulations to Dream Reapers in Melrose Park, IL, for being the only Chicagoland-area haunted attraction selected to Hauntworld’s 2009 Top 31 Haunted Houses.

Movers (& Shakers)
There are only a few houses that have new locations this year. Psychosis is now in Elgin, IL. Hotel Massacre now makes their bed in Naperville, IL. AND you can drop into the Abyss now at the Dollinger Family Farm in Channahon, IL.

Also, we are sad to report that Trail of Screams in Stillman Valley, IL, is closed for 2010. But, it is scheduled to reopen in 2011.

Scout Salute
To help commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America, many haunted attractions are setting up special features and discounts, exclusively for Scouts that come dressed in their uniforms. For example, 11th Hour in Elk Grove Village, IL, is offering a $10-off coupon, among several others. Jonamac Orchard Haunted Corn Maze in Malta, IL, even designed this year’s maze in the shape of a Boy Scout Badge.

New on the Block
We have a few newcomers to the HHC family. Please welcome Amhurst Asylum in Valparaiso, IN, and Torture Point in Crete, IL!

And now, another outstanding season is almost underway!

Reviews begin Saturday, September 18, 2010! Make sure you stay tuned to the Twitter feed for up-to-the-minute updates:

http://www.twitter.com/HauntedHouseChi

Have a safe and wonderful Halloween season!

Where do you want to scream today?

From The Creator of Days of the Living Dead

Hi Guys!

I'm sending out this email as a last ditch attempt to achieve my goal to make my latest project Days of the Living Dead possible.  It's a haunted house reality web series and I just put together a really cool trailer for it that you can check out on Youtube here: http://bit.ly/blJ8sk

The fundraising deadline for my project ENDS in 4 days.  If I can convince 255 nice people such as yourselves to pitch in $25 each then I can fund the show.  If not, then we wont receive any funding, the project is on Kickstarter.com which is and all or nothing fundraising site.

I would sincerely appreciate any help you might be able to offer me in order to make my goal and would be honored for your support!

Here is the link to my project's page: http://bit.ly/blJ8sk

Thank you all so very much!

Best,

Jayme Joyce
http://www.daysofthelivingdead.com

Dear Local Media...

Hello Radio Stations, TV Stations and Chicago-based PR Firms and Marketing Companies. We appreciate your interest in our little website, here, but no, we don't want to buy ads from you. Please stop bombarding us with emails to that effect. Thank you and good night.

Getting Ready fo Halloween 2010

Zombie Army Productions engaged the services of a programmer today to update, enhance and improve HauntedHouseChicago.com for the 2010 season. We learned a lot from last year and you can look forward to a better, smoother, easier-to-understand-and-use website in the next month or so. Bear with us if anything stops working briefly or looks weird!

Haunt owners - be sure to update your listings from last year (or create a listing if you haven't already)!

New Chicago-Based A&E Ghosthunting Show : Paranormal Cops

PARANORMAL COPS™ follows a group of larger-than-life cops who walk one beat during the day as real-life Chicago-area police officers and another at night when they apply their forensic and investigative expertise to paranormal casework.

Responding to the pleas of people who are victimized by distressing and inexplicable activities in their homes and workplaces, these cops bring their no-nonsense approach to hunting ghosts and real-life police skills to separate the fact from fiction - and often happen upon results much scarier than expected.

As they investigate, the team will also uncover the dark underworld of Chicago’s sordid history, which will both inform and enrich their cases as they seek to rid people of the fears that plague them.

Click HERE for more info, and watch the premier episode (if you missed it) HERE.