Saturday, October 5, 2013

Halloween Haunted House Guide 2013

Halloween Haunted House Guide 2013

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Who knows that lurks behind the walls of Great Cleveland's premier haunted house attractions? We do! Be sure to check out the profiles of Greater Cleveland's best haunted house attractions in our online guide. (Plain Dealer File)
Peter Chakerian, Special to Northeast Ohio Media GroupBy Peter Chakerian, Special to Northeast Ohio Media Group 
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on September 20, 2013 at 3:58 PM, updated September 20, 2013 at 3:59 PM
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When haunted houses became all the rage during the 1970s, the modern-day concept of Halloween was still very much in its infancy. It was a simpler time: kids used pillowcases for collected candy, nickels and loot.
And if you didn't have a deluxe (read: expensive) costume, you made due with a makeshift one dug out from an old closet or trunk. Throw on a little of Mom's make-up and voila! -- instant holiday fun.
To wit, haunted houses were mostly very similar -- lo-tech affairs -- and if there were black lights and canned sound effects involved, it was considered above average.
That's when places like Akron's Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory and the Hudson Haunted House staked early claim to what has become a state-of-the-art phenomenon -- the haunted "events" of today blend all the drama and tension of Hollywood horror flicks with video game pathos and the grandeur of DIY work ethics (and mad theatrical creativity) gone wild.
Today, there aren't just haunted houses with your average creepers and quick scares. There are haunted forests and schoolhouses and zombie battlefields and paintball. And that's just scratching the surface. There are fire-breathing dragons and laser light shows and... well... and *clowns*.
Yep, that's right. Clowns.
You'll find all of this and more in our rundown of Northeast Ohio's premier haunted attractions. And hey, if you scare easily, consider tossing a change of undies in your car before you go to some of these must-do Halloween traditions.
Because you'll need 'em.
We've started rolling out the guide today - with profiles of SpookyRanch at the Rockin'-R-Ranch in Columbia Station, the Fear Experience in Parma and Akron's Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory in Akron.
More more profiles will go up online over the next few days: Hauntville. Nightmare in the Wilderness. Bloodview. Carnival of Horrors. Hudson Haunted House. Undead Armageddon.
Keep watching. And be afraid. Be very afraid.



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