This year I made three separate visits to Fairytales. Each time I went through the house it and it’s residents were just a bit darker and more depraved. The second part of the venue – The Experiment - included a short film with some very unsettling images. Said images do like to pop up on my mind’s screen at random moments. Shivers. This year will always be particularly memorable because I finally got to meet Nightmare’s creator Timothy Haskell.
Every year Tim and the Psycho Clan work hard to create a completely new experience for us. This year’s sets were designed to make you feel as if you were running walking through a pop-up book. Fairytales was based on the original telling of the tales, not the highly sanitized versions we all enjoyed as children. Believe me there wasn’t a happily ever after in sight. Snow White was wild-eyed as she applied the hot metal slippers to her stepmother’s feet. The fearsome troll beneath the bridge in Billy Goat’s Gruff looked as if he would go for my throat.
Another bonus this year was Nightmare Z-Day in The Bronx. It was like dropping into a late night creature feature. There’s a mad doctor – of course – and zombies everywhere. Make-up and costumes as well as the sets were super creative. I fully immerse myself into the storyline. Interacting with the characters, and my fellow participants, and immersing myself into the storyline makes my experience. It’ll make yours too. So don’t heckle the actors, turn on flashlight apps or mess with the sets – just get into it.
Can’t wait till next Halloween.
Hauntingly yours,
Frances
