The haunting season gets off to an
early start
The smoke had scarcely cleared from
the Labor Day barbecues when the season’ first Top of Utah haunted house
creaked open its dark doors. Castle of Chaos kicked off a new year of frights
on Sept. 6, just four short days after the classic end-of-summer Labor Day
weekend and a walloping 55 days before Halloween.
"It’s The best opening we’ve had in
years; the season is starting off on a good pace,” says Sean Murray. Murray who
lives in Layton is general manager of the Riverdale attraction and one of the
owners of the three-location Castle of Chaos chain. Mid-September heralded the
opening of the Haunted Hollow in West Warren, and the debut of other Top of
Utah scare factories will follow.
Gone
are the days when haunted houses primarily revolved around Oct. 31. It’s more
of a season-its fall. Halloween isn’t a day; it’s year-round when you’re
talking to a haunter. Castle of Chaos, for example, also opens for a “Spring Scream”
on a couple of weekends in April and a holiday-oriented haunted house in December,
because people sort of love it.
“The Haunted
Hollow opened one week earlier this year, kicking off on Friday. Sept. 13. For
those in the ghoul business, that’s an inspired date that just begs to be observed.
Kind of like our holiday. Only the hard-core thrill seekers show up at his
haunted house during September: October is usually when it gets real busy. A
weekend night in September may draw 400-to 500 visitors, for example, but a
week end night in October will pack in a crowd of 1,5000.You won’t hit big
number until the second week of October for the most part, it doesn’t do too
much good to open too early”
And
although Haunted Hollow has experimented with keeping the frights going past
Halloween the effort wasn’t too successful. People just…move on o Thanksgiving
and Christmas. As it is now, once folks start seeing Halloween decorations pop
up in stores in early fall they start to think, “Oh I want to go to a haunted house.”
Whether you
relish your terrors early or late in the season, here’s a look at what you’ll
find at the 2013 incarnations of the Castle of chaos and the Haunted Hollow. We
aren’t talking wallpaper or wainscoting for makeover in this castle."
To be continued…
DR KARL WALLACE D.D.S.
To read more go to: Karlwallaceblog.blogspot.com
