Perhaps the most brilliant thing about it is the use of the house itself. If you really want to pee your pants, then you’ll probably still enjoy it for the crafty use of the space, but know that you’re not gonna get your scare fix. So if you’re a wimp like me who’s ok stepping a little out of your comfort zone, you’ll be fine. The scares were just enough to make you startle and then giggle, nobody ever touches you, and the rooms were very cleverly staged. Luckily, this was not the Terror Vault or anything designed to actually make you pee your pants. The haunted house experience itself is what I was most nervous about because I get really uncomfortable in dark places where things could jump out at you. Like I said, effort was made and it pays off. I especially enjoyed the titular character of Madame Nightshade, played expertly by Bruxa Palmeiro. The actors were all super committed and seemed to be having a great time. 15 minutes after you are let in, there is a fun show on a rickety stage that starts off trying to sell you a magic tonic and ends with… well, I don’t want to ruin it, so you’ll have to trust me that it’s worth sticking around until the end. This is not your mother’s little haunted house in the garage, it is large scale and immediately draws you in. There could not be a more perfect location for an immersive haunted house show on Halloween. It’s worth visiting San Jose to take the tour and hear all about this wacky lady, who was also allegedly a Spiritualist who held regular seances, and whose house inspired Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion. That’s the story anyway (popularized by none other than Harry Houdini), and it’s the one most people choose to believe. This resulted in the weirdest house ever, with stairways to nowhere and doors that open out to the sky and more. If you’re not familiar, the Winchester house was built by Sarah Winchester who, ridden with guilt over her family’s role in producing the rifles that killed many people, thought she had to continuously construct her house to confuse their evil spirits. The Winchester Mystery House’s annual Halloween Haunt is back after a two year hiatus, and the Bay Area could not be more excited to welcome its return. A phenomenal light show is also projected onto manor itself.Nick Dickson (left) and Slater Penney (right) as the tonic salesman and Hobo Clown. In addition to the new narrative-driven adventure, visitors are invited to indulge in other activities on the grounds, such as ax-throwing, a scavenger hunt and Christine McConnell's glorious gingerbread rendition of the Winchester House. Unhinged is a PG-13 event, so it's best to leave the little ones at home. Guests will clamber up and down steep stairs like those on a submarine, happen across rooms with windows for walls and squeeze through strange passageways leading to different parts of the famed Mystery House, all while interacting with the fiendish spirits who have come to call Winchester their home. The authors of Unhinged play with this novelty, using it to ratchet up the tension, while performers act out sinister spectacles. Traversing the puzzle of a house, guests enter rooms that have been closed to the public for close to a century. Small groups are led into the looming labyrinth. The result is a menacing and purely fictional storyline. This year, however, in an attempt to reimagine the way patrons experience the mansion, Unhinged dispels with history and spins a yarn separate from the mansion's capricious constructiontaking the lore of the legendary estate and, much like Sarah did with her home, building upon it. In previous years, Winchester has offered spooky candlelit tours, replete with the same notable details regarding the house's architecture and antiquity. With the fall season upon us and October lurking right around the corner, the mansion has once again opened its doors to guests seeking an evening of paranormal activity. Based on the silver flask he's white-knuckling, it's safe to assume he's seen some things he'd prefer to forget.Ī historic San Jose estate with a legacy rooted in the supernatural, the Winchester Mystery House is a popular destination for those seeking close encounters with the astral plane. A white-haired man at the gates urges them to go no further, for they will likely never return. HORROR SHOW: 'Unhinged' dispenses with historical pretense to focus on scares.Īs the sun sinks behind the Santa Cruz Mountains, a group of people mill about outside the Winchester Mystery House.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |