User:Oddjob84/Archive 4

List Parameters

 * Notability: Must be international, national or at least substantially regional
 * Scale: Must involve substantial portion or entire park, multiple venues; single attractions not included
 * Seasonal: Must be ad hoc event, run seasonally, not permanent attraction
 * Theme: Strictly Halloween theme, harvest festivals, etc. not included

Leads

 * Cleared list into table or deleted. Any more leads?

List 2 Parameters

 * Notability: Must be international, national or at least substantially regional
 * Scale: Single attractions only
 * Seasonal: Must be a permanent attraction, open when its park is open
 * Theme: Strictly Halloween-like theme, "fun houses" not included

Leads

 * Cleared list into table or deleted. Any more leads?

List 3 Parameters

 * Notability: Must be international, national or at least substantially regional
 * Scale: Single attractions only
 * Seasonal: Must be ad hoc event, run seasonally, may be permanent location
 * Theme: Strictly Halloween-like theme, "fun houses" not included

Leads

 * Cleared list into table or deleted. Any more leads?

Extreme Haunted Houses
As the haunted attraction industry has evolved, it has trended toward ever more elaborate settings, higher technology, more elaborate backstories and so-called "extreme" haunted houses. Most operators, from the mega-haunts down to local charity events have felt the competitive pressure to improve their events. Higher quality scenery and props and ever more elaborate concepts and writing have become the norm. As well, the experiences have expanded in terms of sheer size, either by making the mazes longer, or by providing more than one attraction on the same site.

Some operators have tried to distinguish themselves by adding more extreme experiences. The most common upgrades beyond those cited above include blackout houses, interactive houses, and the inclusion of virtual reality and/or laser tag elements. The blackout houses are what they sound like: pitch black mazes which the guests must feel their way through. This may involve crawling, and sometimes, contact by the actors. This is usually not allowed in less extreme houses, and may require to guest to sign a waiver prior to entering. The interactive houses may involve the guests being closed into an "escape room", where that have a time limit to try to figure out how to escape, and physical clues scattered around the space. Naturally, there are scares also hidden in the space, and often guest escape efforts have consequences for wrong guesses. The VR and laser tag houses add an element of the first-person shooter video game experience to the guest's journey through the house.

The most extreme houses may feature full contact with guests and include a chance that the guest may be subjected to light torture, including simulated drowning, simulated assault, and simulated torture. Guests are often given a safe word for anyone who can't handle it. San Diego's McKamey Manor requires both an application process and a waiver. Unlike most of its rivals, there is no safety word. The tour, which is free, can take up to four hours to complete. In that time, guests have been tied and gagged, forced into coffins and freezers, and had their heads crammed into cages full of snakes. People have even been known to leave with scratches and bruises on their bodies. The reigning champ is Blackout, which has versions in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and New York, and has been rated on several lists as the most extreme haunted house in the world. The Naked and Scared Challenge was an adults-only experience at Shocktoberfest, a 27-acre fear park located in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania. Visitors at least 18 years old were invited to disrobe before entering. After choosing the "nude" or "prude" (underwear-only) option, guests are asked to sign waivers prior to a clothes-free fright. The nude option was cancelled prior to opening, due to pressure from local authorities. There are a few such houses around the country, but they have apparently not caught on.