THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2013 New TV show boosts tourism in real Sleepy Hollow 39 A plastic grim reaper stands in a garden in Ailingen, Germany.— AFP

This September 2013 image provided by in Orlando, Fla, shows actors portraying zombies for the Photo released by Universal Studios Hollywood captures theme park’s Horror Nights, which take place on guests experiencing the “Insidious: Into the Further” maze select nights through Nov 2. –AFP photos based on the recent blockbuster film “Insidious: Chapter 2”. host tours and haunted houses are hallmarks of the The Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, an abandoned prison and Championship Punkin Chunkin, this year Nov 1-3, in Bridgeville. In New weeks leading up to Halloween. But this year, some historic landmark that hosts an annual “Terror Behind the Walls” Halloween Hampshire, the annual Pumpkin Festival in Keene is scheduled for Oct 19, attractions are upping their game with an interactive event, this year is offering visitors a glow-in-the-dark necklace that marks noon-8:30 pm, with parades, performances and thousands of carved pump- component. Now, visitors aren’t just shrieking at the their willingness to be more than passive observers. Necklace-wearing kins lining the town. sight of zombies—they’re shooting them with paintball guests can be grabbed by actors, sent into hidden passageways, and sepa- At Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY, Luna Park hosts Halloween Harvest guns at Saint Lucifer’s Haunted Asylum in Flint, Mich. rated from their group. weekends in October and on Columbus Day. Guess the weight of a giant They’re not just listening to ghost stories. They’re learn- In case you can’t manage to take a selfie while you’re scared out of your pumpkin to win $1,000. The pumpkin will be carved into a masterpiece Oct ing how to do their own paranormal investigations on wits, the Erebus Haunted Attraction in Pontiac, Mich, is taking a page from 26 by Food Network’s Marc Maniac, and the public can carve pumpkins in a ghost-hunting overnight stays at Buffalo Gap Historic Village near Abilene, theme parks that sell pictures of roller coaster riders. Erebus has mounted contest that day too. GTexas. 48 cameras in a single room where visitors typically scream their heads off, And they’re not just snaking through a haunted house on a long line, and they can now purchase 180-degree images of themselves in the throes Theme parks screaming as a bloody monster climbs out of a coffin. Instead, they’re pay- of terror. Here are some other Halloween-themed destinations, events and In Florida, the streets of Universal Orlando are being taken over by zom- ing extra to be stuck in a room where they must complete tasks and puzzle attractions around the country. bies inspired by AMC’s popular show, “The Walking Dead,” for Halloween out challenges in order to escape, as in the “Trapped” attraction at Knott’s Horror Nights, held select evenings through Nov 2. One of the park’s eight Berry Farm in Buena Park, Calif. Busch Gardens in Tampa, Fla, just launched New York Halloween parade haunted houses is also themed on the show. Other haunted houses take “The Experiment,” where visitors are asked to participate in experiences so Because of power outages and other issues from Superstorm Sandy, inspiration from horror video game series Resident Evil and horror films “Evil intense that they sometimes decline. organizers were forced to cancel last year’s Village Halloween Parade, which Dead,” “” and “An American Werewolf in London.” “If you refuse three times, the experiment is terminated,” said spokes- typically attracts 2 million spectators and 50,000 costumed marchers. The In California, Universal Hollywood debuted a new maze this season man Travis Claytor. The experiments “may or may not involve live animals or parade now faces a funding shortfall; as of early October, more than half inspired by the heavy metal band Black Sabbath’s “13” album. The park also creepy crawlies,” he added. “There may or may not be something in there for the needed $50,000 had been raised on Kickstarter. If the balance can be se- offers a “scare zone” populated by actors dressed as the nasty Chucky doll germaphobes. Psychologically this is one of the most invasive experiences cured, the parade is scheduled for Oct 31, kicking off at 7 pm, Sixth Avenue from the direct-to-DVD sequel “Curse of Chucky,” and a maze incorporating you’ll ever have. I was there Friday on opening night and there were several between Spring and 16th streets. elements from the “Insidious” films. Details at people who could not make it through.” ’s HalloWeekends in Sandusky, Ohio, include scare zones with Pat Konopelski, president of the Haunted Attraction Association, says New Orleans themes like Blood on the Bayou, Carnevil, Cornstalkers and Fear Faire. Busch the new intensity and increased interaction is simply the maturing of an New Orleans’ annual Voodoo Music Experience festival often coincides Gardens, in addition to “The Experiment,” has its annual Howl-O-Scream industry that started out 25 years ago “scaring people with rubber masks with Halloween but this year takes place immediately after, Nov 1-3, in City attractions, including a haunted house called Death Water Bayou that was and plastic knives. Every year people came back and wanted more.” Park. Coming from a range of musical genres, headliners include Mackl- created with input from fans on Facebook: For the younger crowd, Disney So now, he said, “not only are zombies jumping out and scaring you, emore & Ryan Lewis, Afrojack, Nine Inch Nails, The Cure and Kid Rock. offers Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Disney World’s Magic King- but you have to turn it into a challenge, an interactive game.” Konopelski’s Other Halloween events in the Big Easy include a Vampire Ball thrown dom in Florida, and Mickey’s Halloween Party at Disneyland in Anaheim, Shocktoberfest attraction in Reading, Pa, includes a component called by the official Anne Rice Vampire Lestat Fan Club. A link from the author’s Calif. “Prison of the Dead Escape” where visitors can choose to be humans or home page states that she will be attending the ball this year. A brand-new zombies in a game similar to flag football. Humans receive belts with three Halloween parade in the French Quarter, Krewe of Boo, kicks off Oct 26, at 6 Ghost tours flags representing the human brain, heart and entrails, and zombies try to pm followed by a Spook Fest party for costumed attendees inside the Mardi Unlike the in-your-face scare zones and trapped-in-a-room experiences get those organs. Gras World attraction. popping up at theme parks, ghost tours—whether in inns, historic sites Konopelski also planned a haunted house tour where guests could walk or neighborhoods—tend to be more fun than fright. Expect a good ghost through in the nude. Local officials put the kibosh on the concept, but Pumpkins story and readings of alleged paranormal activity on hand-held meters. A you can still go through wearing underwear. The lack of clothes, he says, Where do leftover pumpkins go to die? They are hurled across the fields list of 30 B&Bs and inns with ghost-themed stays can be found.—AP “heightens the vulnerability of the guests.” of Delaware by man and machine at The Chunk, also known as the World