Folklore Haunted House: A haunting experience
Portraying a deceased patient from a Psych ward, the actor crept around scaring people as they waited in line. From the different color eyes, to the bloody stitching across his face the actor fulfilled his role.
October 30, 2018
Besides hosting Halloween parties and going trick-or-treating, individuals can raise their spooky spirits by attending local haunted houses. The Folklore Haunted House, located in downtown Acworth, hosts their annual scary attractions September 22 to November 3.
Rated number three on America’s greatest haunted houses to visit, Folklore commences their scaring session at 7:30 p.m., Monday through Wednesday and again Friday through Sunday. The Haunted House offers three separate attractions: The Manor, Tremulous, and Chromophobia. Visitors, encouraged to go through all three houses, wait in line and prepare for upcoming scares while taking pictures with monsters roaming around.
“This is our first haunted house. I really hope none of my kids pee on themselves and fall out on the floor,” Folklore visitor Amy Millsap said.
Folklore’s detail decorations created the spooky environment for visitors. The creative style made it hard for guests to determine the difference between the actors and props.
The Manor, a house that Folklore employees claim to experience the most paranormal activity in, encourages visitors to walk through and experience the unexpected terrors it holds within. The darkness of the house, lit only with dim lights to highlight decorations such as cobwebs, fake bugs, and deceased monsters ignites a sense of fear among visitors. The decaying house incorporates a startling animatronic man laying on a bed, and as guests walk by the monster, the man opens its stomach, releasing terrifying items such as tapeworms, butchered fingers, and mold. Each room showcases disturbing actors singing creepy tunes or hiding in corners trying to score a scare.
The tall figure hovered over the guests while welcoming them into the haunted house. As monsters roamed around the Folklore grounds, scared visitors walked by, taking pictures.
“The Manor had to be the scariest out of the three. I’m normally one of those people who is always screaming, so it felt like I was walking through that house for centuries. They had a lot of jumpscares which made it even harder for me to complete the house,” junior Dajah Scrutchins said.
The Tremulous, another attraction intended for older visitors, hosts a haunted archaeology theme. Actors dressed in masks and horribly stained drapes spooked guests as they walked through the horrid hospital section inside. This portion includes actors dissecting decomposing bodies and patients chained to walls wearing straight jackets psychotically pleading for help. Integrating these alarming elements through Folklore’s detailed display adds a spine-chilling atmosphere throughout the house. Filled with screams and strobe lights, Tremulous turned ancient Egypt into a bloody horror story.
“Tremulous was very nerve-racking—a lot of action going on. All around me, it felt like people were screaming and running. You really never knew what was going to happen next. I was on edge the entire time and always scared about when the next monster was gonna pop out at me,” junior Mia Brown said.
Intended for a younger audience, Chromophobia includes 3D attractions as visitors venture through the house. Filled with neon lights, this house represents a Mardi Gras theme. Chromophobia takes less time to walk through than the other two houses since it does not include any monsters. Instead, the colorful wonderland allows visitors to rest from the constant jumpscares and enjoy instead the whimsical scenery.
Harrison High School senior Shadreeka Robinson felt terrified at the unexpected presence of the monster. “I was scared because I wasn’t expecting him to come up behind me with his lightning rod. The noise was terrifyingly loud, so it was hard to even stand beside him without flinching,” Robinson said.
Open for their eighth year, Folklore incorporates elements from both horror movies and shows to attract visitors of all ages. All three attractions illustrate different themes to create a new spin on the average haunted house. Folklore does a fantastic job at leaving its visitors with a haunting experience.
