FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., Oct. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Many believe that they have been to the “Wedding From Hell.” But only those who have been to ceremonies like this at America Haunts attractions can say that the fear they experienced is exactly what they wanted.

Members of America Haunts, an association of elite haunted house attractions that delivers fear-based entertainment to more than a million thrill-seekers each Halloween season, do more than simply scare the pants off their customers on a nightly basis. Many host annual special events ranging from weddings to themed conventions to team building exercises for businesses.

“Scaring people nightly is a lot of fun, but to keep things interesting America Haunts members are always coming up with ways to provide our visitors with new experiences,” said America Haunts Board member, which hosts weddings year round at the Edge of Hell Haunted House in Kansas City, Mo.

In addition to weddings, which also are hosted annually at the Erebus Haunted Attraction in Pontiac, Mich., and Headless Horseman Hayride and Haunted Attraction in Ulster Park, NY, other events seen at America Haunts attractions include annual themed conventions. Netherworld in Atlanta recently sponsored Dragon Con, a massive sci-fi convention held over Labor Day Weekend, while 13th Floor in Denver continued its annual tradition of scaring up the group from HearseCon, a national gathering of hearse owners featuring the largest hearse car show earlier this summer.

America Haunts attractions also have become hot tickets for businesses to entertain employees and promote team building. Spookywoods in High Point, NC, takes visitors on its Off Road Segway PT X2 and Zip Line courses. In Philadelphia, The Bates Motel offers corporate picnics and bonfires to such companies as U.S. Airways and Smith Kline. The ScareHouse in Pittsburgh provides an exclusive suite and “Behind the Screams” tours for groups and businesses.

For more information and a directory of individual haunt and attraction websites, including opening dates, hours and ticket prices, go to www.AmericaHaunts.com.

With more than 30 hayrides, and attractions in 20 markets across the country, America Haunts delivers fear-based entertainment to more than a million thrill seekers each Halloween season. The attractions within this organization have been featured on Travel Channel and recognized by The Guinness Book of World Records on multiple occasions. The high-tech attractions within this association are committed to providing technical excellence, stunning set design, and Hollywood-quality make-up, costumes and creatures. Members enjoy nothing more than delivering a good old-fashioned scare to fright fans of all ages. For more information, visit www.AmericaHaunts.com.

Having trouble getting out to see Haunts because you are running your own?

Then The Legendary Haunt Tour is just for you! 3 Massive High Production value haunted attractions held open ONE more weekend, Nov. 10th,11th and 12th. Room rates are about to go up so so get your tickets now! This year’s tour is going to see some of the most amazing haunted attractions in Philadelphia, located in some of the most creepy buildings you will ever enter! The event kicks off with Shoctoberfest Thursday night, followed by Pennhurst Asylum on friday night ,and Terror behind the Walls on Saturday night – also featuring parties and networking opportunities!!! Hotel rates go up after October 12th, so register today to reserve the discounted room rates!!!! Go to www.legendaryhaunttour.com to sign up.

Here are all the details for this year’s Legendary Haunt Tour:

Shocktoberfest Preshow Tour & Party – Thursday, November 10th
5:00pm (buses will be leaving the Crowne Plaza 1 hour prior to event start time)

Just added Shocktoberfest Preshow Tour and Party! The fun starts early on Thursday night when buses depart from the host hotel at 5:00 p.m. and take you to Shocktoberfest Scream Park. You’ll enjoy admission to all the attractions , a catered dinner, open bar all night, a late night after-party at Club Shock and transportation back to the host hotel.
For the first time ever, Shocktoberfest, Pennsylvania’s Premier Haunted Scream Park opens its doors exclusively for the Legendary Haunt Tour guests! Celebrating its 20th year, Shocktoberfest’s reputation has been built on its custom animatronics, unique set design, amazing actors, terrifying scare techniques and cutting-edge computer effects.
Shocktoberfest features Biohazard Hayride which takes you through acres of forest with specialized theme buildings; Prison of the Dead, a 50,000 square foot indoor and outdoor prison-themed mega-haunt compound; The Unknown, a brand new haunt featuring never-before-seen technology; Club Shock, a haunted dance club and The Monster Midway, featuring games, food*, entertainment and more scare zones than ever before!

Pennhurst Asylum Details – Friday, November 11th
4:00pm (buses will be leaving the Crowne Plaza 1 hour prior to event start time)
Kick off your weekend with an afternoon tour of this haunted campus known as one of the most infamous asylums in America. You’ll explore off-limit locations filled with crumbling structures which are reported to have extremly high levels of paranormal activity.
As evening approaches, you’ll participate in a dinner in the company of a round table discussion of haunted attraction industry experts. Following dinner and the round table, you’ll enjoy a full production show of the amazing haunted attractions now housed in the terrifying Pennhurst Asylum. Begin with a hospital themed haunt including many original artifacts from the original Pennhurst State School. The old administration building, dating back to 1908, features a combination of high-tech animatronics, digital sound and motivated actors – with the utmost detail and realism. The Dungeon of Lost Souls (NEW for 2011), features a labyrinth of old cells, drafty hallways and a series of human experiments – gone wrong! All haunts are enhanced with CGI special effects, custom sound and amazing detail.

Next on the ticket is the Ghost Hunt which features a flashlight tour of the original structure reported to be the area with the highest level of paranomoral activity. This building has been left untouched and reflects the institution exactly as it was 30 years ago! The Tunnel of Terror takes you through a 900 foot long gauntlet beneath the grounds of the old State School, first named Pennhurst Home for the Feeble Minded and Epileptic, and notably one of the scariest parts of Pennhurst.
The night concludes with an after party at Pennhurst Asylum with food and drinks while reliving the frightening experience with your peers.

Eastern State Penitentiary Details – Saturday, November 12th
Day Tours run from 3:00 – 5:00pm (buses will be leaving the Crowne Plaza 1 hour prior to event start time)
Night Tours starts at 7:00pm (buses will be leaving the Crowne Plaza 1 hour prior to event start time)
Buses will depart in the early afternoon for the massive abandoned and haunted prison known as Eastern State Penitentiary – one of the most famous prisons in the world dating back to 1829.
A guided tour of this ominous building highlights famous prisoners (like Al Capone and the flamboyant bank robber, Slick Willie Sutton) and offers shockingly true stories of daily life as a prisoner. You’ll explore a daytime prison tour and many areas not normally open, including numerous cellblocks, the baseball diamond, Death Row, Al Capone’s cell and four small windowless punishment cells in the basement of Cellblock 14.

Experience paranormal hot spots and see areas where major movies were filmed on location. After a dinner break (restaurant locations nearby and at your expense), experience the full production show of all the terrifying haunted attractions within Terror Behind the Walls, one of the nation’s largest and most ambitious haunted houses and ranked the “No. 1 Haunted House in America” by AOL. Now in its 20th year, Terror Behind the Walls features Hollywood-quality sets, custom-designed props, animatronics, and digital sound effects within six haunted attractions including Lock Down, Infirmary, The Experiment (in 3D) and Nightwatch to name a few. In celebration of its anniversary year, Terror Behind the Walls will launch two new attractions for the 2011 season – the Gauntlet & Break Out, adding to an already extensive amount of haunted events!

Following the evening haunt tour you’ll have time to hang out with your friends and enjoy the after party at the nearby Urban Saloon Restaurant!

New Frights, Creatures and Technology at Member Haunts Keep Crowds Coming Back

By America Haunts

Published: Wednesday, Sep. 7, 2011 – 8:20 am
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., Sept. 7, 2011 — /PRNewswire/ — America is ready to get its fear on.

So much so that America Haunts (www.americahaunts.com), an association of elite haunted house attractions that delivers fear-based entertainment to more than a million thrill-seekers each Halloween season, is predicting record numbers of visitors for the 2011 season.

This projection is based on last year’s attendance as well as increased awareness of horror and the generation of fright fans who have grown up attending haunted houses every year.

“The thing I love about fans of haunted houses is that they are a fanatical bunch who appreciate the art of a good scare that comes only once a year,” said America Haunts President Ben Armstrong. “Particularly, as more and more people seek to stay closer to home for their entertainment, it is up to us to provide them with something to do that is cost-effective, provides them with a temporary escape from their everyday life and gives them that rush of both fear and adrenaline that they feel when they get scared. America Haunts members provide all of that and then some.”

Another reason for America Haunts optimism is that it knows fans crave the unknown, which is why the more than 20 haunted houses and hayrides within this association strive to keep their attractions fresh, annually changing their looks anywhere from 40-60 percent. Some ideas spend more than 18 months in development before coming to fruition.

“As haunted house owners, we have an obligation to our fans to keep them guessing,” Armstrong explained. “Our members do have some great annual attractions that people just love seeing every year, but what keeps them coming back is they never truly know what is behind every corner.”

Gone are the days of someone in a bad mask jumping out from behind a door yelling, “Boo!” The attractions within America Haunts are characterized by some of most gruesome, creative and innovative displays to horrify visitors. Each America Haunts member is committed to providing technical excellence, stunning set design, and Hollywood-quality make-up, costumes and creatures. Members enjoy nothing more than delivering a good old-fashioned scare to fright fans of all ages.

As proof to its excellence, several attractions within America Haunts have been featured on the Travel Channel and recognized by The Guinness Book of World Records on multiple occasions.

For more information and a directory of individual haunt and attraction websites, including opening dates, hours and ticket prices, go to www.AmericaHaunts.com.

With more than 20 hayrides, and attractions in 20 markets across the country, America Haunts delivers fear-based entertainment to more than a million thrill seekers each Halloween season. The attractions within this organization have been featured on Travel Channel and recognized by The Guinness Book of World Records on multiple occasions. The high-tech attractions within this association are committed to providing technical excellence, stunning set design, and Hollywood-quality make-up, costumes and creatures. Members’ enjoy nothing more than delivering a good old-fashioned scare to fright fans of all ages. For more information, visit AmericaHaunts.com.

The Beast unleashes fear in all its forms!

Kansas City, Missouri has become a breeding ground for fear, thanks to the phobia-inducing masters or terror at The Beast – America’s largest haunted house. Offering several themed houses, these artisans of the unsettling have perfected the technique of tapping into your deepest, darkest fears.

If you suffer from athazagoraphobia – the fear of being lost or forgotten – you may find yourself at your wits’ end while touring The Beast. The Werewolf Forest, a 1/4 acre in size, requires you to find an exit in complete darkness, driving up every abandonment issue you could possibly have. You may find yourself wandering about the swamp, trying desperately to avoid the blood thirsty alligators that lie in wait, giving way to Herpetophobia, an irrational fear of reptiles.

At The Edge of Hell, a converted warehouse, you will come face-to-face with a live twenty foot anaconda – and an unhealthy dose of Ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) – as you work your way through uncounted horrors, culminating in a five story slide drop straight into the open arms of the Devil himself!

The Chambers of Edgar Allan Poe invites you to confront your fear of being buried alive – known as taphephobia – as the writings of the undisputed Master of the Macabre spring to life. The Raven, The House of Usher, The Black Cat and Rue Morgue are among the tales that put you through the horrifying experiences of suffocation, claustrophobia, and, yes – being buried alive.

For those who suffer from unnatural fear of living in a horror movie or nightmare, there’s Macabre Cinema. A terrifying adventure through a haunted 1930′s movie theater, you will find yourself front and center in more than thirty classic and contemporary horror scenes housed throughout the four story haunt. Don’t fear it – live it!

Learn more about these fright factories at kcbeast.com

Discover an entire nation of thrilling haunted attractions at www.americahaunts.com

An unnatural fear of ghosts and apparitions would actually seem to be, well, very natural. Stumbling across the disembodied spirit of a deceased individual would be rather unnervering to even the most practical minded, and would likely create unshakable dread. Phasmophobia, as this particular fear is known in scientific circles, is fairly widespread in modern society. While many scholars consider the belief in ghosts to be purely superstitious, there is no denying that countless people report spectral sightings and experiences every year. From harmless visions of loved ones trapped between realms to vengeful wraiths seeking balance for some injustice inflicted upon them in the living world, ghostly encounters have become quite commonplace, prompting numerous ghost hunting shows and films. The popularity of ectoplasmic entertainment may have legitimized reports of seeing spooks for some, simultaneously desensitizing others to the existence of afterlife activity. And while most of us would be disturbed by any such occurrence, the phasmophobiac is overwhelmed by this fear to the point that their very life functions can become limited. They may avoid anyplace that could suggest the possibility of ghostly roamings, such as funerals, old hotels, hospitals or historic sites. The mere mention of an apparition could unhinge them.

Located next to Houston, Texas’ historic Olivewood Cemetery, Nightmare on the Bayou could drive a phasmobiac to an early grave. Continued real hauntings abound, with customers and employees alike reporting supernatural activity, making Nightmare one TRULY haunted attraction. Equipped with Hollywood-quality props and effects, state-of-the-art animatronics, and a well-trained cast of actors, this is one Halloween experience guaranteed to “get your ghost”! Believer or not, one must admit that the presence of late souls seeking their final rest most certainly lends an air of eerie authenticity to what is already a frightening venue…

Featured on Travel Channel’s “America’s Scariest Haunted Houses”, Nightmare on the Bayou offers over 15,000 square feet of thrilling haunted fun through several different attractions. Visitors may find themselves hard pressed to determine whether they are seeing an actor or an actual ghost when exploring this event. Those seeking genuine Halloween chills will find the lure of a potential otherworldly encounter too good to pass up. Those suffering from phasmophobia…not so much!

Learn more at nightmareonthebayou.com

Discover an entire nation of thrilling haunted attractions at www.AmericaHaunts.com

Dementophobia is the name associated with a fear of insanity. Finding oneself frightened by the crazed or insane may be one of the easier phobias to maintain, as it can be relatively simple to avoid the usual haunts of such people. But when the haunt in question is The Asylum – Denver, Colorado’s #1 rated haunted attraction – it may become rather difficult to avoid. Guaranteed to attract even the most hardcore dementophobiac, The Asylum has been featured on The Travel Channel’s “America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions” and has been included in Hauntworld Magazine’s “Top 25 Haunted Houses in America”.

Descending two levels into Gordon Cottingham’s Hospital for the Mentally Insane, visitors find themselves in the darkest, dampest recesses of The Asylum, surrounded by spiders, snakes, rats, and the screams of the tortured souls of those left behind. The building crawls with insanity, as crazed lunatics lurk around every corner. Indeed, the lunatics have taken over The Asylum…

Speaking of lower levels, 13th Floor Haunted House will elevate your fears to new heights, as they attempt to shed some light on why numerous buildings omit the number thirteen from their floor sequences. Even the most logical, non-superstitious architects often remove the thirteenth floor from building plans, and whether you suffer from a fear of elevators or not, it would seem somewhat foreboding to see that number on the keypad when the elevator doors draw closed. Long considered an unlucky number, thirteen elicits a great deal of dread among the superstitious and has long been avoided.

A surprising number of Americans experience some form of fear when riding an elevator, and although there is no clinical name for this particular phobia, it is safe to assume that a combined fear of heights, enclosed spaces, and aspects of the unknown make for a very intimidating experience. So what exactly would happen if the thirteenth floor were included in this ride? Perhaps the answers lie within the walls of Denver’s 13th Floor – hailed by Hauntworld Magazine as “one of America’s best haunted houses”. The Travel Channel says “when you climb the mountains of Denver, Colorado, you’ve got to check out the 13th Floor Haunted House”. Superstition? Conspiracy? Something far more sinister? Decide for yourself…

Learn more at asylumdenver.com and 13thfloorhauntedhouse.com

Discover an entire nation of thrilling haunted attractions at www.americahaunts.com

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., Aug. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — To let thrill seekers get a jump start on the horror that is their favorite holiday, the fear-inducing, bone-chilling haunted houses and attractions that comprise America Haunts (www.americahaunts.com) are creaking open their doors for the Halloween season beginning as early as September. A howling good time, the venues annually welcome more than one million fear seekers.

America Haunts members are dedicated to providing the safest, scariest and most fun haunted entertainment in the country. The organization is home to the nation’s most elite tier of haunted houses and fear-inducing attractions, each representing the highest echelon of Halloween entertainment. With daunting criteria for acceptance, America Haunts membership is exclusive and considered one of the greatest recognitions a haunted venue can receive.

Haunts that have been invited to be part of America Haunts feature some of most gruesome, creative and innovative displays to horrify visitors. Each has a commitment to technical excellence with stunning set designs and Hollywood-quality make-up, costumes and actors. Several of the haunts have been in operation for more than 30 years.

The opening dates for 2011 haunts are as follows:

The Beast / The Edge of Hell
Kansas City, MO
September 9

Cutting Edge
Fort Worth, TX
September 10

Dent Schoolhouse
Cincinnati, OH
September 16

Nightmare on 13th
Salt Lake City, UT
September 16

Headless Horseman
Ulster Park, NY
September 17

The 13th Gate
Baton Rouge, LA
September 22

Erebus Haunted Attraction
Pontiac, MI
September 23

House of Torment
Austin, TX
September 23

Netherworld
Atlanta, GA
September 23

The 13th Floor
Denver, CO
September 23

The 13th Floor
Phoenix
September 23

The 13th Floor
San Antonio, CA
September 23

The Haunted Hotel
San Diego, CA
September 23

The ScareHouse
Pittsburgh, PA
September 23

7 Floors of Hell
Cleveland, OH
September 24

Nightmare on the Bayou
Houston, TX
September 29

Bates Motel
Philadelphia, PA
September 30

Dream Reapers
Chicago, IL
September 30

Spookywoods
Greensboro-Winston-Salem, NC
September 30

The Asylum
Denver, CO
September 30

The Darkness
St. Louis, MO
October 1

For more information and a directory of individual haunt and attraction websites, including hours and ticket prices, go to www.AmericaHaunts.com.

With more than 20 hayrides, and attractions in 20 markets across the country, America Haunts delivers fear-based entertainment to more than a million thrill seekers each Halloween season. The attractions within this organization have been featured on Travel Channel and recognized by The Guinness Book of World Records on multiple occasions. The high-tech attractions within this association are committed to providing technical excellence, stunning set design, and Hollywood-quality make-up, costumes and creatures. Members’ enjoy nothing more than delivering a good old-fashioned scare to fright fans of all ages. For more information, visit AmericaHaunts.com.

NETHERWORLD Haunted House – where monsters (and fear) dwell!

Teratophobia is the name attributed to the irrational fear of monsters. Malformed, hideous creatures can elicit unbearable dread in those afflicted with this particular phobia, finding themselves terribly affected by the unusual and unique. At NETHERWORLD Haunted House in Atlanta, Georgia, the typical teratophobiac may find themselves horrifically outnumbered. This is, after all, where monsters dwell…

Featuring one of the most extensive arrays of film studio-quality creatures in the industry, highly-rated NETHERWORLD delivers a monster-sized dose of teratophobia to any and all who dare enter either of its two critically-acclaimed haunts. Ghoulish Netherspawn, such as the Collector, the Mangler, and the sexy-yet-deadly Brides, swarm the property of this converted bottling plant, leaping out from each and every darkened corner from the moment you enter the parking lot. Known as much for its original story content as it is for its top-notch makeup and costumes, NETHERWORLD is consistently ranked among the top haunted attractions in the country – leading The Travel Channel to proclaim it “The most elaborate haunted house in America”. They are the experts on monsters and the denizens of the dark, and continue to push the limits of terror.

2011 will see the arrival of even more nightmare-inspired monstrosities as NETHERWORLD presents The Nightmares, a brand-new show that tells the tale of the final battle between the forces of the NETHERWORLD and the opposition they face from the Illuminati. A literal “who’s who” of the monster realm, The Nightmares should prove the undoing of any poor teratophobiac entering the darkened chambers of Atlanta’s premier haunted attraction. Vampires, goblins, zombies, mutated plants, gargoyles, and krampus all converge for a battle royale that is sure to unsettle even the most unaffected among us…

Perhaps there’s a bit of teratophobia in each of us. It simply took the masterminds behind NETHERWORLD to unleash it.

Those who fear filth are referred to as Rupophobiacs. Ropophobia can also lend itself to Entomophobia, the fear of insects, which seem to thrive in grime. Whether you suffer from either – or both – of these phobias, you will find your grip on sanity tested when you enter Raw Meat, the second of NETHERWORLD’s new shows this season. You’ll enter a sewer system rife with toxic waste and rotting organic matter, overrun with mole people, mutant alligators, cannibals and more. Forget the sanitary hand lotion – there is no escaping the bug-infested nastiness which awaits you within.

Learn more about NETHERWORLD at fearworld.com

Discover an entire nation of thrilling haunted attractions at www.americahaunts.com

Nyctophobia is the irrational fear of the dark, most common among children and young people. It is one of the most common phobias, and can manifest itself in a variety of symptoms, resulting in everything from shortness of breath to excessive sweating to dry mouth to a complete loss of reason. The unseen can provide a fantastic canvas for the imagination, as the threat of unknown dangers weighs heavy on the mind. It is said by many professionals that the first step in overcoming one’s fears is to confront them, face to face. To that end, Fort Worth’s Cutting Edge Haunted House may provide the most extensive therapy available…

Cutting Edge, located in a 100-year-old abandoned 235,000 square foot meat packing plant, received the Guinness World Record for “World’s Largest Walk Through Haunted House” in 2009. At a total length of 2,261.08 feet from entrance to exit, the average walk through the house takes approximately 55 minutes – a virtual eternity for the hapless visitor suffering from nyctophobia. Surrounded by actual meat packing equipment delivering bodies to their demise, Cutting Edge plunges brave souls into the longest journey through the dark they’re likely to find. A daunting task for anyone, let alone those with an overpowering fear of the terror the blackness brings.

Voted among the “Top 20 Haunts” by Fangoria Magazine, Cutting Edge has been called “The longest adrenaline rush money can buy!” by the Denton Record Chronicle for good reason.

Learn more about Cutting Edge at cuttingedgehauntedhouse.com

Discover an entire nation of thrilling haunted attractions at www.americahaunts.com

Kinemortophobia is the immobilizing fear of the undead.

Zombies.

One would have to be out of their mind NOT to fear these brain-craving monstrosities, but for the average person that fear translates into a quick run for their life to stay a few steps ahead of the pack. Yet for the casual kinemortophobiac, the fight could be over before it begins – paralyzed by fear, the chances of escaping even the slowest, lumbering slack-jawed zombie are slim to none…

The zombies at the House of Torment are savage and fierce eternal undead slaves with an unquenchable thirst for blood, flesh, and fear. Terrorizing all who cross their path before relentlessly devouring them, they were the first stage in a series of genetic mutations that turned the world on its head.

House of Torment, regularly recognized by both local and national media outlets as one of the best haunted houses in the country, could freeze a kinemortophobiac dead in their tracks. It has been referred to as “20,000 square feet of terror” by the Wall Street Journal, and prompted MSN to say “for the scariest, baddest, most haunted house in Austin [Texas], try the famed House of Torment”. Featuring three separate events, it is certain to elicit enough screams to wake the (un)dead!

Learn more at thehouseoftorment.com

Discover an entire nation of thrilling haunted attractions at www.americahaunts.com