Fright Nights: My Experience

Fright+Nights%3A+My+Experience

Alicia Newby, Staff Writer

Fright Nights is an annual event that runs all through October at the South Florida Fairgrounds. It consists of four haunted houses and a variety of rides.

I’m absolutely terrified of clowns, unknown creatures, and people with chainsaws in their hand. So, Fright Nights is the last place you would normally see me, however, my friend convinced me to join her.

Prices

Unlimited rides cost $10, and the haunted houses go for $5 each. I paid a total of $30 for unlimited rides, and four haunted houses. The price wasn’t all that bad, however, I feel like I should’ve only paid for three haunted houses.

Rides

There were not many rides and I was pretty disappointed. From what I’ve heard, it was not as empty last year as it was this year. Paying ten dollars for almost 6 rides did not make me happy. Not only was there limited rides, but the rides were also not the best choice. Overall, there were only two good rides.

Haunted Houses

Animal farm: This haunted house was basically a farm full of dead animals, and unknown creatures. The description from the website is: “Humanoids, freaks, and half -beasts roam the trampled acres and await your arrival.” This haunted house was surprisingly the scariest for me; however, the house was boring. People in animal masks jumping up and down, making noises in your ear, and people crawling on the floor. The scary part was not knowing when someone was going to jump out, and that aspect of the house was better than the others.  My main issue with this house was one of the “scarers” touching my leg and the main rule was “no touching.” Overall, the house was my least favorite.

Memento Mori: The back story of this house included two murderous sisters that participated in voodoo and witchcraft. This house was one of my least favorites. I heard that this house was the scariest, so I was expecting much more. There were a few people jumping out, and the overall house just seemed empty. I don’t have much to say about it.

Meadow Lakes: The back story for this house was an “unknown virus,” which was causing “global chaos.” This haunted house was basically like an abandoned town. Bedrooms, movie theaters, and even grocery stores were in this haunted house. They all looked deserted.  There were bloody people in wheelchairs, people in gas masks, and just dead people everywhere. This house was one of my favorites and also one of the scariest. It was scary enough for me to run and fall while in the house. The preview was nothing like this. The preview was a cookie-cutter family sitting at the dining table, so I thought people in suits with blood on their face would  be walking around. It was something totally different, but still ended up being my favorite.

Beyond the gates: This haunted house was based on the idea of a thin line between our world, and a darker world. I remember seeing the devil, and many other devil-like creatures. I also remember a little girl in her room whining and singing; this was extremely creepy. One section of the house was very overwhelming. There were strobe lights and thick curtains that you had to make your way through. The strobe lights made it hard to see, so I had to close my eyes and hold onto my friend. Overall, this house was my second favorite.

I had a great time at Fright Nights. I was with friends, laughing, running, and falling. Despite my expectations, it was the perfect place to just have fun.