By Holly Smith Peterson
From the tame to the terrifying, here are your Halloween haunts around Pierce County for this season.
Hell’s Gateway
Starting in the heart of the South Sound, this site is “Terror Central.” Touted as Washington state’s original hi-tech, non-commercial haunted spot, Hell’s Gateway has been around for three years now and sells out quickly – but only to those 13 and older. (Guests 18 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.) Computer-controlled fright effects range from your basic haunted house to special “Real Fear” events — intense, 90-minute fright-fests that require wearing old clothes (in case you get doused with zombie goo and other monstrous bodily fluids), and a “safe word” (for those who get too freaked out and need to escape). There’s also “Dark Nightmare,” a timed 20-minute, pitch-black event during which participants collect 10 clues by glow stick to win prizes.
Location: 2302 Fawcett Ave., Tacoma
Dates: Oct. 1 – 30, 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. on weekends, 8:00 p.m. – midnight on weeknights
Price: $15 to $20, combo passes available
Theater of Lost Souls
Zombies take over the Paradise Theatre again this Halloween season for an indoor/outdoor maze of terrors. This guided tour takes you through the haunted building and surrounding property as Sir Archibald and the spirits of “horror celebrities” rise to scare the living through more than 20 different scary scenes. Note: Kid-friendly nights ($1 off) are Oct. 19 and 29.
Location: 9911 Burnham Dr NW, Gig Harbor
Dates: Oct 17,18, 24, 25 and 31 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.; Oct 19, 23, 26, 29, 30 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Price: $6 kids 10 and younger, $9 ages 11 and older; unlimited visit VIP passes are $12 (kids), $18 (adult)
Halloween Hellmouth
A murder victim returns with her cohorts to take revenge on the town in this Lakewood showcase of paranormal activity during Halloween Hellmouth. As the story goes, long ago black-magic maven Charlotte Bacon was murdered during a two-week battle with the underworld in October, and now every year the undead are released among the living at this location.
Location: 8415 Lawndale Ave. SW, Lakewood
Dates: Oct. 24, 25, and 31, 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m, with lights-on walk-through tours available by appointment only on Nov. 1.
Price: $5 donation
Fright Factory
The haunted house has never been so chilling as in at this remote country setting. Dozens of actors in realistic monster and zombie costumes lurking in a creepy old dwelling, in the midst of acres of secluded woods, bring chills to the spine even when driving up to the site. Note: bring a canned good and get $1 off admission.
Location: 2000 Collins Rd., Buckley
Dates: Oct. 4 – 31, 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. on weekends, 7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. on weeknights, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. on Sundays
Price: $11 (discount with military I.D.)
Brad’s Boo Barn & Slaughterhouse
Will you be able to brave the ghostly school house, the haunted jail, or the terrifying clown maze? It’s all in an old barn, and is one of the least expensive sites for fright in the South Sound. If you can’t make it there this year, check out Brad’s Boo Barn & Slaughterhouse’s website, where the owners also demonstrate how to make your own haunted props and rooms.
Location: 224th St. E, Spanaway
Dates: Oct. 3 – Nov. 1, 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Price: $7 donation
My Morbid Mind
What started as a family front-porch haunted corridor trick-or-treaters had to traverse to get their candy has turned into an annual area haunting of a big old barn and the acreage around it. “Master of the Macabre” and homeowner Kevin Noah and family set up the super-scare every season — and with added animatronics and special effects for 2014, participants are raving that it’s the most frightening venue there yet. Tip: Look online for coupons and the “Hot Lane” express pass. Snacks are also available on site.
Location: 4548 Marvin Rd. SE, Lacey
Dates: Oct. 3 – Nov. 1, 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. on weekends, 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. on weeknights
Kid Friendly Fright: kids walk-through available October 31, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Price: $9 to $12, $2 kids walk-through
Rutledge Haunted Maze
Three fright-filled mazes beckon you here, two of them family-friendly and one created for more traditional terrors. Walk through a roughly 45-minute corn maze where chainsaws, screams and groans from mysterious beings echo through the dense fog. The truly brave can embark on the action-adventure opportunity to join in the Zombie Paintball Hunt. For more details, visit Rutledge Haunted Maze online.
Location: 302 93rd Ave. SE, Tumwater
Dates: Fridays and Saturdays, Sept. 19 – Nov. 1, sunset – 11:00 p.m.
Price: $13, ticket sales start at 5:00 p.m.
Shadows Haunted Attraction
Next to iFly in South Center, the Annex Square Mall hosts this double-dose of indoor fright sites. “Dare the Dark Maze” follows fright-filled paths with a haunted house theme; thrills are low-gore but high-startle, so it’s best for those 10 and older. Also on site, the “Bloody Mary” interactive group experience maximizes suspense and disorientation with mists, flashing lights, total darkness, tight places, sudden loud noises, and monsters leaping out at you from all directions. Tip: tickets are $3 off online; buy two and get half off the second.
Location: 339 Tukwila Parkway, Tukwila
Dates: Oct. 3 – Nov. 1, 7:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. on weekends, 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. on Thursdays
Price: $20
Kitsap Haunted Fairgrounds
Take a self-guided tour through the county cemetery, where you never know which spirits and ghouls might jump out from the graves and crypts that are erupting with action. The Cities of the Dead is in the mix, too, with its New Orleans theme that brings in the ghosts of notorious serial killers, the famous voodoo spirit Baron Samedj, demonic clowns, and more. For more frightening details, visit the Kistap Haunted Fairgrounds event website here.
Location: 1200 NW Fairgrounds Rd., Bremerton
Dates: Fridays and Saturdays Oct. 10 – Nov. 1; lights on 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (for the kiddos), full scare 6:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Price: $12, VIP $20
Haunted Bordello
Make your way up to the ghostly seaside settlement of Port Townsend, where Halloween brings out the scariest scenes of all among the weather-worn Victorian dwellings. This year, the Old Consulate Inn opens its doors to doom on a guided tour through scenes of “titillating and terrifying” entertainment — so 17 and older only. Be prepared for steep stairways, strobe lights and some graphic violence; spend the night if you dare, and breakfast with the cast the next morning.
Location: 313 Walker St., Port Townsend
Dates: Oct. 24 and 25, 7:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Price: $10, cash only
