By Shawna Mount
The Halloween season is upon us with piles of candy, endless aisles of decorations and overly large assortment of costumes. However, we all know the season doesn’t really start until the opening of attractions such as haunted hayrides, amusement park fright nights and of course, haunted houses.
So if you’re avoiding trick-or-treaters and trying to have some Halloween fun, here’s some haunted houses within the San Antonio providence.
Terror on the Plaza, 329 Alamo Plaza
Previously used for Ripley’s Haunted Adventure, the 10,000-square-foot building located directly across from the Alamo makes its debut this year as a haunted house for the Halloween season.
This hair-raising attraction begins in the casket lift which takes visitors up to the third floor. Here you learn the story of the Grimsby and Streaper Casket Company which closed in 1926 because of the unsolved disappearance of the two company owners along with several locals. Residents blamed occurrences on a cave called the Sink located beneath the building.
“Everything here is the original equipment from the casket company,” Raymond Mejia, who plays Stumpy, a character actor in the haunted house.
Then you’re left to find your way through three floors while Terror on the Plaza uses sight, sound, smell and touch to prey on your every fear.
“We have some smells that are down right disgusting,” Alex Arora, Ripley’s Haunted Adventure manager said.
Arora said there are scents that smell similar to excrement, decaying flesh and other pungent odors.
They touch on fears such as arachnophobia, claustrophobia along with old fashioned scares like sudden sounds and actors coming out from nowhere.
“We even have a hallway that has inflatable walls that forces people to push their way out,” Arora said. “A lot of people who are claustrophobic can’t make it past this part.”
Tickets are $19.99, but $2 off admission coupons are available at Exxon Tigermarket, Santikos Theaters, HEB and Walmart with purchase of a Pepsi product or by bringing in a Pepsi can onsite.
13th Floor and Groundup, 1203 East Commerce Street
13th Floor haunted house inhabits a 107-year-old building made up of three floors that was once a hotel for Sunset Station in the 1940s. According to legend, this hotel housed a group of students that were killed in a headon collision when their school bus stalled on the tracks.
It is said that if you park your car on the tracks, the spirits of the children will push your car over the tracks. If you use dirt or baby powder on the bumper of your car, it is said that you will find the small hand prints of the children.
It begins with the descent into the basement of the building and journeys through the first haunted house called Groundup before entering the graveyard which leads you to the holding area to board the elevator to the 13th floor.
“If they want to see a hollywood level production, a movie level production with professional sets, professional actors, professional makeup; we completely and totally immerse the audience,” 13th Floor manager Keith Trott said. “Not only the sights but the smells we pump in, the lighting that we pump in, the training of the actors is all to create a completely immersive environment.”
Don’t worry if you’re waiting in a long line, there are several actors outside that will keep you entertained such as Mr. and Mrs. Hallow and the Boogey Man.
“You’re not going to see anything here that you would see anywhere else; no Freddy Krueger, no Michael Myers,” Trott said. “Everything here is original; something we’ve come up with.”
Each room holds its own gruesome tale; serial killers, psychopaths, monsters, etc…. will scream at you, run and slide at you, and jump out from every dark corner and from behind every door.
“I’ve had people punch me in the face and attack me with hangers because they get so freaked out,” event staff member, Morgan Westerman said.
Tickets Sunday through Thursday are $19.99 Friday and Saturday are $22.99. VIP Tickets Sunday through Thursday are $24.99 and Friday and Saturday are $29.99
Nightmare on Grayson, 201 East Grayson Street
Open since 1989, this well known haunted house will permanently close its doors after this year’s Halloween season.
“We are looking for another space but haven’t found one yet,” Gordon Wise, director of Nightmare on Grayson, said. “We want a space that is already set up the way we need it so we’re not pouring in more money than we can afford.”
Wise explained that it made more sense financially to give over the property to the building owner Brayco Partnership for lofts and retail space.
Though the building is haunted enough on its own — believers point to several well cited cases — Nightmare on Grayson Street has been terrorizing San Antonio for 23 years.
This building was once known as Double Cola Bottlers built in 1939. Fredrich Von Strussen was brought on to help develop Jolley Ale which was a product meant to compete with other stimulate colas. Infused with lysergic acid, a chemical from Switzerland used for respiratory and circulatory stimulant.
Not until 1943 was there widespread reports of mass hallucinations and seizures. Come to find out, Strussen was sent over by the military of Switzerland to develop a euphoric stimulant for soldiers on the battlefield.
He had volunteers who sampled the chemicals and though there were negative effects, Strussen continued dosing.
Federal agents attempted to raid the plant but when Strussen got word of his arrest, he immediately gathered up all records and equipment, planning to escape.
As he was trying to get out of the building, he shot a night watchmen dead that had crossed his path.
Once captured, he was immediately executed with no due process.
Some claim to have seen a red cloaked figure walking the grounds at night that could be the spirit of Strussen himself.
Traditionally, this haunted house features the Mindshaft, A Dark Trip into the Very Depths of Madness, Terror in 3D and a Psycho-delic nightmare before being terrorized by zombie rabid dogs.
“The first half is all in 3D,” General Manager Adam Preciado said. “Then it’s the normal haunted house for the rest of the way.”
If you make it out, fire dancers, magic shows and food trucks will keep you occupied the rest of the night. However most of these activities are left for the last two weeks of October when there is the highest flow of business.
“We used to have live music but now that there are residents across the street, we have to watch the noise level,” Wise said.
There are also many vendors that set up shop and a few games available to play in the first part of the month.
“The last couple of weeks we block off the entire street,” Wise said. “We get a lot of vendors out here and have a lot more activities going on.”
Tickets are available online, at HEB, and onsite. Tickets are $15 onsite and at HEB. Online prices vary between $15 and $21 depending on business flow.
Terror Mansion, 414 West Laurel
This haunted house is made up of 23 rooms housing familiar horror film characters such as Freddy, Jason, Leatherface and Michael Myers and also included a human meatlocker.
This year they’ve added werewolves and a severed head display along with a few other surprises.
“We try to change 60 to 70 percent of the haunted house every year,” Terror Mansion owner Nancy Alanis said.
Built in the 1940s, this building already has a haunted history of its own proven through recorded paranormal activity.
“We have a strong spiritual activity here,” Alanis said. “It’s truly amazing.”
According to legend these hauntings stem from a nearby shooting that happened Sept. 10, 1927. Detective Sam Street was shot once in the face and once in thigh upon approach of known robber, Pete McKenzie.
Terror Mansion offers the Afterlife Ghost Tour for those who want to experience the paranormal activity for themselves. However, the ghost tour is only available March through August.
“It is almost guaranteed that you will experience the activity,” Alanis said.
Ghost tour tickets are $50 per person and require a group of 10 to 30 people. Haunted house tickets are $20, but there is a $2 off coupon available online and at the Mesquite office, Room 169 and 179 at Brooks City-Base Campus.
So, for those looking to test their limits or just wanting an old fashioned Halloween scare, try one or all four of these haunted houses.
