Haunts abound for Halloween revelers
Medical science helps explain why so many Arkansans are paying to be frightened this month at the several dozen Halloween haunted houses across the state.
“Our brains are hardwired to enjoy being scared — that is, as long as there’s no real danger,” reports the well-regarded Cleveland Clinic’s website. “When we choose to participate in frightening activities, we’re manipulating our brains into a series of chemical reactions that make us feel good. For that reason, a little terror is actually good for us.”
Terror, at prices from $10 to $30, is the prescription at these Central Arkansas attractions: Haunted Hotel of Arkansas in Little Rock; The Reaper Haunted House in North Little Rock; Creepy Works in Conway; Fear Factory 501 in Jacksonville; Twisted Nightmares Haunted House in Cabot; and Royal Haunted House in Benton. They are among three dozen chilling Arkansas venues listed on thescarefactor.com, a national fright locator.
With Halloween night only two weeks away, these scary settings are already busy frightening customers with what Cleveland Clinic psychologist Chivonna Childs calls “good fear.”
As she explains online, “The thing that distinguishes good fear from bad fear is our perception of safety. Fear lets us know that we need to run. If there’s a bear coming, we need to know what to do. We need to run. That’s a kind of fear that can breed anxiety and depression.”
Conversely, she adds, “There’s a good side to fear, and that’s what scary movies, true-crime stories and haunted houses tap into. We understand that there’s an end to these experiences, that the bear’s not gonna get us. We know that going through a haunted house is just for fun, that it’s only people in costumes. But it still rings those bells for adrenaline, endorphins and dopamine. You experience the euphoria because you know you’re safe.”
Here are Central Arkansas locations aiming to scare up “good fear” in Halloween-month visitors. Nights of opening, which vary, can be confirmed on the websites, as can admission prices:
■ Haunted Hotel of Arkansas, in southwest Little Rock, plays on its name by promising “chills, thrills and room service that kills,” along with its “midnight red meat buffet.” It takes pride in still using live characters rather than animatronic figures to do the thrilling and chilling.
■ The Reaper Haunted House, in far northwest North Little Rock, claims with the genre’s typical hyperbole to be “the most intense haunted house in Arkansas, where anything goes. See if you can make it through over 30 scenes of blood, gore and mayhem.”
■ Creepy Works, on Arkansas 286 in Conway, has added a flashback to the mid-1960s by opening a “Munster Musaleum.” It features Butch Patrick, who played juvenile werewolf Eddie Munster on the television series still shown on nostalgic channels. He is advertised as being on the premises to greet visitors.
■ Fear Factory 501, on Arkansas 107 in outlying Jacksonville, calls itself “the place where darkness never sleeps.” Among the scare-offerings are five escape rooms, a haunted playhouse, a haunted morgue, a torture chamber, a voodoo room and a vortex tunnel.
■ Twisted Nightmares Haunted House, on Cabot’s western fringe, may be a fraught destination for sufferers from coulrophobia, the technical term for fear of clowns. A clown mannequin lurks on the site’s grounds next to a disconnected ATM machine.
■ Royal Haunted House, operating for its fourth October in downtown Benton’s erstwhile movie theater, is touting new features this year. They include handmade animatronics along with fresh characters and props. The Royal website lists this warning: “Do not enter if you are intoxicated, wearing any form of cast, medical braces or using crutches.”
MORE THRILLS
The haunting will take place in daylight next Saturday at the Little Rock Zoo. Its website promises to “fill you with fright and delight” both days at the Howl-O-Ween Party, which replaced the former Boo at the Zoo several Octobers ago.
Between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 28, visitors are encouraged to come wearing Halloween disguises and join the 11:30 a.m. costume contest. Persons of any age can enter, but adults are not allowed to wear face masks, face coverings or face paint.
Other activities will include animal feeding, Halloween crafts, a magic show, penguin feedings and chats with keepers of rhinoceroses, great apes, siamangs and elephants.
Regular zoo admission prices will apply: $12.95 for adults, $9.95 for children 3-12, $10.95 for visitors 65 and older, free for youngsters under 3.
For information, visit littlerockzoo.com or call 501-661-7200.