Hellobee Boards

I have NO idea but they terrify me!! lol

Knott's Berry Farm (in So Cal) turns into Knott's Scary Farm and it's seriously so terrifying. I used to be able to handle it when I was a teen but no more!! They have mazes and they jump at you it's disturbing.

So when I was in high school my stepbrother and I went to The House of Shock in New Orleans. It's not just some small-fry haunted house, it's a huge, elaborate thing.

You start off waiting in a very long line, because this place is popular. As you get closer to the entrance you're entertained by a stage show. I don't remember who was playing, but what I do remember was the guy who was hanging from hooks all up and down his back. Not scary, but 100% real and a bit unsettling for me.

I went 11-12 years ago, so the details are still a bit fuzzy, but a few particular moments stand out. The first was a "dead" child slumped over a chair. That was it. Nothing jumped out at us, she just sat there, not moving at all. After that we moved into a pitch dark hallway, maybe 2.5 feet wide. No light at all. Nothing for our eyes to adjust to. And then we stayed there. For like 10 minutes. Nothing happened, except the longer we stayed the quieter everyone got. And the quieter people got, the better you could hear other things. Things from inside the walls. And ceiling. And floor. Scratches. Taps. Maybe a low moan. But it's so dark that you have no idea where it's coming from, or if it's even real. Maybe it's just something you've made up. But suddenly the dark feels overwhelming, and your heart starts to pound. Maybe you aren't normally scared of the dark, and maybe you aren't normally claustrophobic, but quite suddenly you find yourself trying not to panic, trying not to feel suffocated by the dark and closeness and the "am I really hearing something" (And then your jerk of a stepbrother runs his finger down the back of your neck and makes you scream, but by then you're not the only one starting to panic and your scream isn't the only one.)

After an eternity you're moved on, and you find yourself on a metal grated walkway through a room. But it's not a normal room, it's a spinning room. And there are strobe lights. You struggle to keep your balance, even though you're still just walking in a straight line. Immediately after, you're in a much larger room, dark but for strobe lights. Quiet except for the very random roar of chainsaws. There are columns around, so you can't see very well, and you're still very disoriented from the spinning room. And then you run out screaming.

And none of that takes into account the rest of the "house". Every popular fear you might have (clowns? deranged doctors? escaped asylum patients?) is represented. Over and over.

And yes, there are people who jump out at you. But that's just the easy scare. Good haunted houses are trying for more. They don't just aim for the cheap scare, they are trying to find and amplify every fear you have. It's very psychological, and when done right, completely terrifying. I had nightmares and slept with a light on for WEEKS after The House of Shock.

I wouldn't step foot in one! I don't like being scared, and I hate the scary movies - they stick with me for such a long time.

@lovehoneybee: just reading that made me terrified.