Suburban haunted houses amp up the fear factor
As a Realtor, Rita Neri knew the housing market. So it didn't seem a giant leap to transfer her knowledge to a more unfamiliar subject — haunted houses.
“I've been successful with open houses, so I decided to do something different,” says Neri, a longtime fan of haunted houses. “I loved the challenge.”
Three years ago, she teamed up with a few partners who knew the business, as well as the Addison Park District, and Disturbia: Torment of Fears became a reality.
The first year was spent learning the ropes. Last year, the haunted house, located inside the Links and Tees Golf Dome, saw lines extending all the way to Lake Street. It was named the No. 1 Haunted Attraction by visitors to hauntedhousechicago.com. And this year, organizers expect more of that same success.
Disturbia, which employs about 20 live actors, shuns the more traditional scares of monsters and vampires and plays on fears like darkness, tight spaces and the sensations of falling and feeling lost, says the house's creative designer, Joseph Pantano. “I try to expose the natural fears people have,” he says.
He tests his research, which is ongoing year-round, through audience response once the house opens. For the first two years, he avoided the clown theme that seemed apparent everywhere else, but this year, decided to incorporate it with a twist. Now, an entire carnival wing takes on a dark, ominous “carny” feel, complete with curved hallways and circular rooms.
Other characters you'll run into during the half-hour walk-through include a deranged cellar-dwelling doctor with a shady medical practice, a half-man, half-pig and three sisters who are tormented by their disturbing looks.
Not all of his ideas work out. A year ago, a pit containing black balls 3 feet deep was unsuccessful as the balls kept falling out. “It worked really well for scaring people, but logistically, the application of it didn't work,” he says.
This year's end result is “very scary,” Pantano promises, “scarier than it has been.” At the same time, organizers pay attention to the crowd demographic, and the attraction becomes scarier later in the night.
“We watch our crowd and try to cater to who our crowd is,” he says.
And their ultimate compliment for a job well done? Screams — and laughter.
“I gauge my job by each and every person who walks out of the exit and what their emotions are,” Pantano says. “If they're just scared, I don't know how much entertainment that was. Fear and laughter both play a part in how successful we are.”