times scare
times scare

As an avid horror fan, I have been through my share of haunted houses. And, if I am comparing my past experiences to my recent tour of Times Scare’s haunted attraction; I’ve seen better, but I’ve also seen a lot worse.

Times Scare’s website promises a “one-of-a-kind”, “cutting edge” experience to “even the bravest of visitors” as they are led through the rooms and hallways of a building it claims was once “stalked by one of the east coast’s most notorious killers” (though the killer goes unnamed and cannot be found through any amount of research). However, despite all of its hype, I found the haunted house lacking in its promised natural eeriness.

Don’t get me wrong. I did my fair share of screaming throughout the tour, but there wasn’t a time where I lost myself in the theatrics or was at all convinced that the place was actually haunted.

That being said, this was not at all a boring or poorly done haunted house. The visitors start off by being checked into a hotel by a neurotic and overly excited front desk manager only to find that they have unwillingly checked themselves into an asylum that would surely be sewed for maltreatment in seconds if any of its patients ever managed to make it out alive. The tight spaces and ominous lighting make you question your every step as you peer through the dark in hopes that you’ll catch a ghost before it jumps out at your feet.

The cast, which consisted of no more than four or five people at the time of our tour (though I’m not sure if there are more actors during the day), did a splendid job of popping in and out of corners when least expected and sneaking up on the guests without being seen or heard (though there was a cell phone that was plugged into a wall somewhere near the beginning of the tour that continuously buzzed with text messages throughout).

The tour ends with a classic crazy-man-with-a-chainsaw chase and a friendly farewell from a clown and then you stumble out onto the streets of NYC in one piece. All in all, the tour is generic, but fun. It’s a good haunted house, but I wouldn’t say it’s fantastic. If you’ve seen a lot of horror films you’ll have fun. And if you haven’t? Yeah, you’ll probably be scared. What it comes down to is if you’re willing to pay the somewhat steep cover charge.

My friends and I each paid $20 at the door, but the prices online state $22 for children twelve and under and $27 for general admission. The house is open from 6PM-11PM Tuesday through Thursday, 5PM-1AM Friday, 3PM-1AM Saturday, and 3PM-10PM Sunday. I would highly suggest going at night not only because of the spooky effect, but also because there are fewer people.

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