Read the History of NETHERWORLD Haunted House!

A collection of screams inside of NETHERWORLD Haunted House 2011! Watch as flying nightmares, huge monsters and massive effects freak people out!

In a hall of ancient mirrors deep within NETHERWORLD Haunted House something slithers into our world!

Halloween isn’t the only season for monster sightings. Within Netherworld Haunted House a veritable army of unnatural beings lurk year round, seeking release from the confines of America’s leading haunted attraction. Ever plotting the downfall of humankind, the sinister forces of the Netherworld waste no time in hatching their evil schemes, hungry for mortal flesh and a taste of freedom. From cannibals to goblins to vampires to zombies, there is never a shortage of monstrosities lurking about.

Join us as we explore the many foul creatures that exist within Netherworld, and examine their hideous origins and legends. Each month we will unveil another nasty Netherspawn, to better prepare you, the human reader, for the ghastly ghouls you will encounter come fall 2012. Forewarned is forearmed. Or possibly four-armed, depending on your taste in monsters…

Netherworld creatures won’t kramp(us) your holiday style!

On any given evening, as the sun descends and the moon rises, giant shaggy brutes roam the grounds of Netherworld Haunted House, carrying switches and rattling rusty chains and bells as they search for bad children to stuff in their sacks and devour later in their fiery lairs.

Legend claims that these creatures, known as Krampus, accompany Saint Nicolas in Alpine countries during the Christmas season, to warn and punish the naughty while Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick rewards the good girls and boys. Typically bearing a devil-like appearance, with large horns, a monstrous tongue, cloven hooves, and thick fur, Krampus may also appear as a sinister gentleman dressed in black. Also known as Black Peter (as well as a host of other names in various regions – Kneckt Ruprecht, Pelzebock, Pelznickel (or Belznickel), Hans Muff, Bartel, Gumphinkel, and Stoppklos), these gruesome beasts offer a stark contrast in holiday punishment to the American lump of coal. Better not pout, indeed!

The origin of the Krampus dates back several thousand years, but traditions regarding the creature diminished until the mid-nineteenth century, when the idea of Saint Nicolas was revived in parts of Europe. The Krampus card gained popularity, and the legends began anew. However, following the 1934 Austrian Civil War, the Krampus tradition was prohibited by the Dollfuss regime. It returned after the end of World War II and remains a staple of the Christmas holiday today..

The Krampus is celebrated on Krampusnacht, taking place on December 5th – the eve of St. Nicholas’ Day in Austria, Northern Italy, France, Finland, and other parts of Europe. Costumed citizens disguised as devils, witches and man-beasts carry torches as they take part in the Krampus Run – or Krampuslauf – stalking the streets (often intoxicated, it would appear) and terrifying everyone they encounter. In some communities, they leer into childrens’ bedrooms from outside, warning of the need to be good, and are invited in by parents to drive the point home.

Europeans have long included Krampus in Christmas celebrations (vintage Krampus cards are a highly-sought after collectible, having exploded in popularity in the mid-nineteenth century), but US audiences are now getting in on the action. Krampus runs have sprung up in Oregon and Pennsylvania, to name a few, and the monsters have popped up in much American pop culture. There is even a Krampus beer – naturally.

Within the shadowy chambers of Netherworld Haunted House, Krampus have joined the dark sinister forces who attempt to unleash terror on the mortal realm. Working alongside gargoyles, goblins, nightmare kings and war beasts, they seek to secure innocent victims to whip with switches before feeding on their tender human flesh.

This year you may want to work a bit harder to stay off that naughty list…

The History of NETHERWORLD Haunted House!

This is a link to an online book covering the History of NETHERWORLD Haunted House! It has themes, pictures, videos, reviews and more spanning the years of the attraction. Check it out and be sure to come visit us in person this Halloween Season!

http://www.fearworld.com/book/

Behind the scenes look at Netherworld Haunted House

By Meghan Kotowski (107)
meghan.kotowski@gwinnettdailypost.com

NORCROSS — Most folks decorate for Halloween sometime during October. The same can’t be said for the Netherworld Haunted House co-owner and creator Ben Armstrong — he surrounds himself in hair-raising creatures and supernatural spirits every day of the year.

The warehouse is open to the public for about a month and half, yet it takes 365 days for Armstrong and his team of designers to formulate the ideas, construct sets and sketch designs.

“The general concept of Netherworld is a gateway which opens to a land of graves, the world of the dead, where monsters dwell and these monsters come into our world causing problems with the local populous,” Armstrong said while talking about creating ideas year to year. “Every year is a different story of how the Netherworld gate has been opened. It’s like a movie that every year we want to present something that is very much like what we have presented before, but like a sequel that has to be different.”

Almost immediately after the spine-chilling season ends, he and his six to 12 full-time employees work together brainstorming ideas, concepts and names for terrifying plots for the next house. When everything is decided, the group goes to the drawing board to build blue prints for the new haunted house.

“Anything that involves carpentry, I try to wrap my brain around it,” said Sam Ronic, set designer who has worked with Armstrong for three years. “I also see how we’re going to build the structure and get it to look like what Ben wants, but also safe and feasible.”

Then the designers get to work. The entrance and ending of the house is changed every year, so both are demolished and rebuilt for the new concept.

This year’s themes are “The Nightmares,” which is located in the large house upstairs and “Raw Meat,” tucked away in the basement. Both shows have hundreds of lighting effects, animatronic monsters and robotic creatures to spook self-guided crowds.

Numerous props and costumes are hand-crafted on site to top the scary scale. The house also gets some of its decorations from movie sets that have finished production.

Armstrong acquired a gargantuan puppet named Mega-mouth from the set of “Zombieland,” which filmed a few scenes in the house. Another film donation is several large fish tanks that came from the movie “The Collections.” They are used to hold human skeletons and fish in “Raw Meat.”

Netherworld is known for having some very demonic creatures throughout the warehouse. Many of them are specifically made for the fright fest, but they are all given finishing touches backstage. Teeth are added, blood is splattered and appendages are attached, all in the name of terror and screams.

“We do whatever we can to get the best creatures we can find,” Armstrong said. “A lot of our big giant monsters may have started as one thing, but our crew has changed them a great deal. They rework the animatronics, skins, etcetera.”

Another monstrous puppet named Pug received a face lift and obtained more teeth this year, all the better “to bite people with.”

The work doesn’t stop when the doors open. The team has to keep the monsters functioning until the beginning of November. A lot can break with 300 staff members and more than 50,000 thrill seekers walking through the maze, touching props and pushing their way to the end.

“Some of our monsters have a tendency to need some dental work, they need tentacles replaced … those are some of the things that need to be fixed,” Ronic said.

This year, the team is wrapping up a storyline that began a couple years ago. In 2009, it was “Blood Night,” last year was “Gargoyles,” and now “The Nightmares.” It takes attendees though every scary dream you can image: voodoo, vampires and venomous snakes, plus many mythological creatures, eerie environments and creepy, crawly critters.

“Upstairs is more traditional, more Gothic, more monster oriented,” he said. “Downstairs is the more industrial, scarier, more savage show.”

“Raw Meat” has more gore and blood as patrons walk through the county’s Water Management System. When you navigate through the underground world, you will learn why bones have been found in the water pipes, while trying not to get eaten by the resident alligators.

“Our monsters are really looking forward to scaring everybody that comes through — giving them a good show, making them laugh and getting a reaction,” Armstrong said.
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NETHERWORLD Haunted House is pleased to offer a Military discount of half off the regular combo ticket price on our opening weekend Sept 23rd & Sept 24th.

Note: Limit one discount per Military ID – Tickets received only valid on Sept 23rd & Sept 24th.

www.fearworld.com