Blood Manor (Review) (NYC Haunted House 2011)

Like a blockbuster summer movie, there are certain haunted houses you need to go to. As one of the most famous haunted houses in NYC, Blood Manor has gotten its reputation as the ultimate BOO! haunted house and it's well earned (see my past reviews from 2009 and 2010). It's full of elaborate, breathtaking sets, actors full of mischief and high tech wizardry. Year after year, Jimmy Lorenzo, Jim Faro and Mike Rodriguez amplify the experience of Blood Manor by tweaking the scare-o-meter and hiring a next generation of actors (half of them are new this year) who can appear stealthy but also get in your face.

What's also new is their location. Previously on 29th St, they are now in a new home on 163 Varick Street (in Soho). The new place has more space for the large crowds and lines as well as more space to unveil their colorful and creepy rooms. You cannot gauge what it takes to make Blood Manor happen. I attended on the 2nd night after they opened and the lines were extremely long already. But Blood Manor makes sure you won't get bored on line. A few lunatics that have escaped from the asylum keep the crowd entertained. Their costumes ranged from a cute girl from a Tim Burton film, a deranged carnie and a tall creature stalking on stilts. They also have a various acts of the freaky variety in a makeshift stage near the entrance. It helps pass the time as you wait.

I got to go backstage and behind the scenes and the level of makeup and costumes is overwhelming. Every actor is dressed in sleek outfits and their makeup is the equivalent of big budget movies. The level of organization to get this show up and running is carefully crafted and one can imagine the timing needed for it all.

With my friend "S" in tow and having met a fellow writer also covering haunted houses, the experience of Blood Manor is clearly one you have to create yourself. By that I mean here are some suggestions of the things you can do to get the best out of it.

• Take your time in each room. The sets are there to be admired and if you rush, you are going to miss the level of detail that Blood Manor has put into it. Each room is carefully crafted for maximum creepy. There are even some in-jokes and if you carefully explore your surroundings the scares will be amplified.
• Interact with the actors. Sure they're going to come out of nowhere to scare you but when they talk to you, you can talk to them. I usually answer their questions, insert a joke of my own and have a few comebacks as well. They will respond in kind and it makes each room more fun.
• You don't necessarily have to be in front to be the one that gets the BOO! Sometimes being in the back of the pack will pack a punch with the scary. By being in the back you'll get to admire the rooms more and not be rushed to go to the next room.
  
• Talk to the strangers in line with you and in your group. You're all here for the same thing and the more you know about who you're going with, the more fun it will be.

The Rooms

A new twist starts off your journey as darkness plays a role as you enter Blood Manor. The rooms seem to be more claustrophobic this time around and the sets seem closer than ever before. You'll be greeted by such ghostly characters as a bride and groom and demons from the netherworld. What struck me this time around were the animatronics. They popped out at just the perfect times and telling the difference between what was a living breathing actor from a high tech contraption was part of the surprise.

Your favorites are back as Freddy Kreuger and Leatherface make appearances. At times it seemed Freddy was stalking me from room to room. The most memorable rooms were clearly the "Boiler Room" with a poor victim caged by a malevolent psycho and the "Cabaret of Death". Scantily clad dancers from hell used stripper poles and they were targeting the men. I was asked by a demon pimp if I wanted to take these she-devils home. I asked how much and was told "my soul" (that's way to much for me).

The new gimmicks involved a Wall Crawler who makes full use of his access to scare you and I believe a wolf jungle room as well as a zombie apocalypse that mashes into the mix. I've always liked the Frankenstein room as the bride always puts on a deathly good show. But the highlight as it was last year is the 3D. It's back again but this time it's longer and has a new ending. It's one of the more visually stimulating things one can do and never gets old.

Because Blood Manor is the most popular of the NYC Haunted Houses, the lines are painfully long. The investment of a R.I.P. (VIP) ticket will speed up the process. I've always said, the pacing of Blood Manor has to be addressed. Sometimes if you're too fast, you don't get to enjoy the perks of interacting with the actors and admiring the rooms. You'll sometimes (depending on how scared you are) bump into the group that went ahead of you. If you're to slow, the group behind you catches up. A balance has to be found so that each visitor can get the most out of BM.
With that, you want to actually get scared and with groups of 6, it might be too much humanity as the rooms are that much tighter. I would recommend groups of 4. The problem is they have to get everybody into the haunted house as fast as possible with crowds this large which is understandable. Hopefully they can work the logistics better as Halloween approaches.

Blood Manor is probably the perfect haunt for that group scare. I even saw a maybe 10-13 year old kid so even the whole family can get its chills on. Lots of discounts can be found online and if your a tween, teenager or full grown adult, there is something for everyone at Blood Manor. Remember my suggestions and you'll have a Halloween-tastic time.

The Vitals

• The official site
• Like on Facebook
• Follow on Twitter
• Blood Manor is located at 163 Varick Street (Soho) Subway: 1 Train to Houston St or C/E to Spring St.
• General Admission tickets are $25 online, $35 at the door and R.I.P. tickets are $40
• Blood Manor runs until 11/5/11.
• Special Thanks to Jim Faro, Jimmy Rodriguez and BullsEye PR for their time!
• See more backstage photos of Blood Manor at the jaded viewer Facebook page!
  

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Did you go to Blood Manor? Leave your thoughts and comments here!

NYC Haunted House: Blood Manor 2010 (Review)

Blood Manor is the James Cameron of haunted houses.

Big production values, absolute detailed rooms and actors who really get into their roles. That's Blood Manor in a nutshell. You're not going to get story or themes here like other haunted houses. It's pure frightening eye candy and like a summer movie, you kinda know what to expect but it still scares the shit out of you.

So my 2010 trek to Blood Manor is actually a sequel as I went last year. As opposed to a rainy night in late October, this year I attended NY's premiere haunted house on a beautiful night that had a modest crowd in early October. The masterminds of Blood Manor: Jimmy Lorenzo, Jim Faro and Mike Rodriguez have always tried to outdo their previous years work and without question they definitely top what they did last year. New rooms and some celebrity attendees were the talk of the conversation. Danielle Harris (from Hatchet 2) and Ice T and his wife Coco had already attended and a few other celebs were stopped by. Blood Manor attracts Hollywood and it's easy to see why. Both J's know horror and Mike's behind the scenes work know how to get you goosebumped.

Blood Manor packs a punch in its 30-40 minute walk through. From noobs to vets, everybody gets their scare on no matter what age you are. It's a horror funhouse filled with your worst nightmares. With Halloween around the corner, you'll be sure to have many options to get your fright on. But an old fashioned haunted house is still an adrenaline rush...and Blood Manor knows how to push your buttons.

The Disclaimer.....

Insano Steve and I trekked down to Blood Manor sorta knowing what to expect. We were now the hardened veterans as opposed to last year. But still it's kinda exciting to see what's new and revisit the rooms we remembered. The line in early October seemed tolerable with costumed ghouls and monsters bustling in the crowd. I love my Harley Quinn escaped mental patient hottie. Yum.

Mind you the line will get longer as we get closer to Halloween. Keep this in mind if you decide to attend. Early is better but past midnight, the lines will be tolerable and the cost a little cheaper. To keep you entertained while you wait, DisGraceLand a fire blower, piercing freak show will make you cringe. And cringe you will.

But enough of the lines, let's talk about the haunted house.

The Sets....

The rooms at Blood Manor are as high quality as you can get in any Universal Studios tour. When you actually stop and not run from room to room, you actually appreciate the level of detail that the team at Blood Manor has created. From your standard slaughterhouse to a straight out scene from Saw or Texas Chainsaw Massacre, their is so much creepiness in each room I would imagine in the daytime it would be just as wickedly scary.

New rooms I noticed were a Universal Studios like Frankenstein homage complete with mad scientist, Franken-monster and the operating table with gizmos and gadgets that seem to dazzle the room. Others included gated torture rooms, Hostel like rooms complete with torturers and torturees.

There were a couple I remembered from last time and they were still disorienting as they were last year. Pig slaughterhouses and dark strobe lightly passageways keep the eerie going. Within some sets were animatronics that seem to go off when you least expected it. That just added to the ILM if it all.

The sets are so extravagant, clever and detailed it's kinda mesmerizing to go through. The only problem is that it's a haunted house and the performers force you to shuttle your way out in 2-3 min so they can get ready for the next boat load of potential scaredy cats.

In jokes, gags and pure horror homages are simply slick and fun. I wish I could have stayed to admire the artistry of it all.

The Performers....

The actors do a great job in their performances. They all get into character and play their roles like they were starring in their own horror movies. You gotta give them credit for doing this night in and night out and the stamina it takes to scare the crap out of people every 3 minutes has gotta be intense.

It takes a different level of human to get within 2 inches of your face and whisper or scream to scare the bejesus out of you. I tried to interact with some of them this time around, answering their questions but they all stayed in character making it known my sarcastic answers were not appreciated.

The spookiest thing that happened was when Insano Steve and I were about to enter the house, 2 creepy kids who were around 9 or 10 yrs old who had full bloody makeup on followed us as we went in. I kept demanding why they were following us but they remained mute.

OMG. One of my worst nightmares was coming true.

Creepy kids were stalking me.

Why creepy kids are you following me and not saying a word??!?!


I gotta admit I kept turning around to see if they had a knife to my back. Screw the hidden actors under a table. These kids were looking zombie and my neck looked like dinner. I'm not sure what the deal was. Insano Steve says these kids were just part of our group. I on the other hand believed they were kiddie performers adding another level of WTF to Blood Manor. Or they were figments of my imagination. Who knows which?

The Scares.....

A little older and now a veteran of the haunted house, I wasn't as scared as I was last year. Sure I jumped out of my shoes at times from an unexpected scream but I was able to notice the noobs running out of rooms at lightning quick speeds. House moms and girls shrieked, men shivered and tweens closed their eyes. The performers are Michael Myers smart and they wait until your mesmerized by some hanging hooks or 3D masks to come of the shadows and get ya.

If your a haunted house virgin, you will get scared. But adults can tolerate the yikes. Being frightened is a natural emotion we often don't utilize. Blood Manor gets your scare maxed up.

The Jaded Viewer's Final Thoughts.......

New York City has so many things to do but if your a tourist visiting this month, a haunted house is the thing to do and Blood Manor is probably a good option. It's like a freaky world into the macabre and what makes Halloween such a horrificly fun holiday.

Before you dress up in your costume, see the professionals dress up in theirs.

The Vitals.........

Blood Manor is open now and runs until November 6th. Check out the schedule at the official site. It's located at 542 West 27th Street (btwn 10th & 11th Ave).

Tickets at the door are $30-$35. There are special "RIP" passes at $45.

Here are some links for more information.

• Official Site
• Facebook Site
• Twitter
• YouTube
  

Valentine's Day is better when you scare the one you love

Having been to Blood Manor for Halloween, it really is quite an experience to say the least. So for you New York and Tri-State peeps, Blood Manor is going to be open Valentine's Day Weekend.

What is Blood Manor? It's one of the best haunted attractions in this here city. So if your feeling blue this Valentine's Day, cheer up and get scared..or better yet scare the shit out of your significant other.

Here be the press release in its hyped up glory.

Blood Manor, NYC's Premier Haunted Attraction, presents a special Bloody Valentine's Weekend February 12th & 13 7:30PM- 1:00 AM at 542 West 27th Street (bet. 10th & 11th Ave). All are welcome for this passionate, if not quite so romantic, experience. Jilted lovers, despondent lonely hearts and those looking to hook up with a freaky last minute date will commune with slightly dysfunctional couples (you know who you are) to bury old relationships alive and/or memorialize their love. There's a razor thin line between love and hate and Blood Manor is the perfect marriage of attraction and repulsion. Make mayhem the highlight of your Valentine's Day Weekend.

The 2010 Blood Manor Valentines Day Weekend escapade begins the moment you arrive at this little bit of hell in Manhattan. Upon entering Blood Manor, revelers pass through The Chapel of Death where visitors will become reluctant guests at an unfortunate couple's unholy matrimony celebration (bring extra hankies). Then it's on to the Thunderdome where Mother Nature is joined by a high priest--talk about a natural disaster. The Insane Asylum features a couple that have been married for far too long and, let's just say, it hasn't exactly been wedded bliss The Manor Chef will make a Valentine's Day feast, and although it's not the usual candlelight dinner you might anticipate on such a romantic holiday, you will find it ghoulishly innovative (and well-sauced).

That's just a sampling of the sinister smorgasbord awaiting guests at Blood Manor - there's plenty more where that came from - it's a blood buffet. Adam and Eve will give you a glimpse into the first Valentine's Day gone wrong in the Garden of Evil. For you insatiable men, a 3-D bedroom with three lovely (yet not entirely shy) ladies await. From sexy showers that aren't quite what they seem, to Bordellos that have a new twist on lustful encounters, there is something for everyone in this sexy house of horrors. The Vortex Tunnel of Love has some spectacular laser effects that are sure to get wild hearts thumping and the Heartbeat Room will be pounding harder than ever. Warm up in the cozy boiler room, which has some sizzling characters running amok. For those looking for some help in the quest for love-- Cupid is on the scene and, let's just say, you can't miss himLadies who might need some help getting ready for their Valentine's date can visit the Beauty Shop of Horrors. Once the staff there gets through with you, there will be all kinds of new excuses as to why he's just not that into you.

There can't possibly be a better way to spend Valentine's Day. From the jaded, anti-Valentine singles to the couples who are looking to keep the thrill in their relationship and let's not forget those on their first dates. If anyone can survive this horrifying display of love gone wrong, they can survive anything. It's a surefire way to test one's love or a terrific new reason to remain forever single.

Blood Manor is owned and operated by Jim Faro, Mike Rodriguez and Jimmy Lorenzo, whose combined passion for all things spooky, created this lustful den of iniquity. Sparked by insurmountable cravings for the macabre and decades of their own incredible Halloween houses, the trio have reached scary, sexy nirvana with this 'special' Blood Manor.

If Blood Manor doesn't scare you into each others arms or make you glad you are single these guys just won't be satisfied. In their twisted minds, Valentine's Day is not a holiday that should be savored by lovers alone--any old freak should be able to partake of the festivities.

Oh, and go ahead, scream. It wont matter.

For more information, clicky HERE.

Happy Halloween from the jaded viewer!

Ahh Halloween. It isn't until tomorrow but I'm sure everybody is prepping their costumes for parties and parades.

So I'll take this time for you to dig through my limited Halloween archives. Below is some of my Halloween themed posts and reviews. And as a trick and a treat, I've posted some of Adam Green's Halloween shorts. Enjoy! Now share some candy will ya?

jaded viewer Halloween linkage:

Trick 'r Treat (Review)
Rob Zombie's Halloween (Review)
Sexy Halloween Costumes

NYC Haunted House Review linkage:

Nightmare: Vampires (Super Scary Review)
Blood Manor (Super Scary Review)
Insano Steve vs Blood Manor (Review)

Adam Green Halloween shorts

Jack Chop

The Tiffany Problem





Happy Halloween!

NYC Haunted House: Blood Manor (Review)

[First a disclaimer: I'd like to thank Claire and Joan from Blood Manor's PR staff for the opportunity to visit. Insano Steve and I had a great time and got totally spooked and thrilled by all the actors and awesome designs of each room. Thanks! Also, I have some pics of the crowd and the exterior. None of the interior. With a week to go before Halloween, you'll have to experience it for yourself!]

On a rainy Friday night, I invited Insano Steve to go with me to Blood Manor, New York's premier haunted house. I had already went to Nightmare: Vampires, so a visit to the more high budgeted, very popular and uber famous Blood Manor would complete my pre-Halloween frightfest.

The Friday night crowd was massive. A line had formed prior to the 7:30pm opening and you could tell people were revved up to get their scare on. Tweens, teenagers, Joe and Joanna Moviegoer, tourists, jabronis and horror geeks and core-ists all huddled together for a night of chills and thrills.

Located on 27th St between 10th and 11th Avenue, it was a walk to get to, but well worth it. Oddly enough it's located across the street from the infamous Scores strip club (how ironic that horror and boobies go together).

Blood Manor is the Michael Bay of NY Haunted Houses. It's got high production values, extraordinary sets, rooms that dazzle the eye and horror professionals who know how to get under your skin. To top it all off, they've added a 3D fright vision. Blood Manor is the equivalent of a summer blockbuster movie filled with twists and turns, jump scares and film homages to all that is great about horror.

It doesn't lack in imagination. Any nightmare you may have dreamed of is alive at Blood Manor. From your favorite slasher to dysfunctional serial killer families, you'll see them living and breathing and talking right next to you. Walking though Blood Manor is taking a journey into your worst fears come to life. But if the psychological isn't enough the inner gorehound in you will be given a happy. Severed heads, decapitated arms, stomach churning blood soaked rooms are all on display. It's like the best of both worlds.

The inital entrance gets you spooked right off. Joining a group of 4 others (6 people enter at a time) Steve and I entered complete darkness. It really is disconcerting to be in complete darkness actually knowing somebody who is paid to scare you WILL scare you.

The whole experience can take as long as 20 minutes but going nice and slow and pacing yourself pays off in the end. 30-40 minutes should be your average time to get the whole experience. In the first few rooms, Steve quickly disappeared from sight. I quickly called out to him, slightly concerned he'd fallen into hell or was being tortured by some chainsaw wielding psycho.

"Steve! You there?!?" Where the hell are you?", I screamed.
"You lost? How the hell can you get lost in the first room?", I asked.

Still in a room of utter darkness, I was greeted by some rather insidious cackling and a voice whispering in my ear, "Where's Steve?" The voice sarcastically repeated my question over and over again.

"Steve's not here, he's probably dead." added another voice.

I gotta admit, that was a hell of an interactive experience. Knowing Steve, he'd probably taken a wrong turn and got lost. He was probably either fascinated by some cannibal carnage or in the seventh level of hell. (Steve will post his own review, so he can tell you his experience in his own words).

Later, Steve found his way back on the interstate and we continued the journey. Our party soon disappeared being scared shitless and running out of the rooms like they had witnessed a murder. Steve and I however, admired each room to its fullest using the slow burn approach.

The greatest part of Blood Manor is the anticipation of entering each room. Before you enter, you gulp some air and put on your brave face. But it really doesn't help, because the rooms are designed to get you mesmerized and excited. Your admiring a toilet with a decapitated head and looking at a burnt up Chucky doll. It's mega cool. So in this daze of awe, you get caught with your proverbial pants down when some costumed grotesque comes out of nowhere and scares you.

It works every time and in every room. It's a tried and true formula.

Some of the rooms that caught my eye were just spectacular. A zombie strippers roomer was appropriately stimulating. A pig slaughterhouse with pigs hanging on meathooks provided a fun chaotic runaround. A few poor souls were in a torture chamber well being tortured. Another room menaces you with snake fear. In one room, a rather ghoulish she-devil, informed me of her devious plan asking what I should do with the severed head she was a carrying.

I responded, "Toss it, it looks like Lindsay Lohan."

Another room was a sickly recreation of Texas Chainsaw Massacre's infamous dinner table scene that was quite clever. The one thing Blood Manor isn't short of is using the chainsaw to get you cut up with scares.

Kudos to the actors who play ninja all day to get you frightened. I make myself an active participant in these places. I like to talk to the actors and exchange some quick banter, either by trying to be all quirky and funny (making them get out of character) or by replying to their hilarious demands just to see what they would do next. You should do the same. If one escaped asylum patient asks "Where's my medicine?" Respond by pointing to an oblivious stranger in your party. It really works and it's funny to scare the shit out of someone. With the actors are animatronics interspered throughout each room. You never know if a prop may be an actor, a animatronic machine or just a simple prop.

As we approached the tail end of the house, we were given 3D glasses and were greeted by the most terrifying creature of all.

A freakin clown.

I know clowns are not all people's kryptonite, but they do make me feel a little weirded out. The 3D is quite ingenious as everything around you becomes amplified including the actors. It works effectively as your eye is so dazzled by the neon and bright colored lights, you don't see the evil lurking around the corner.

One of the most eclectic people you'll meet during this time is what I have dubbed the "Happy Killer", a very cute but serial killer Alice in Wonderland girl. It made me chuckle to hear her recite her lines. Think Harley Quinn come to life.

Strobe lights will come into play later and chainsaw sickos are quickly on your tail. And thus your journey ends.

Blood Manor is so jampacked with horror goodies, it's like a carnival of wickedness. You really feel like they've made every effort to get you scared and the level of detail in every room is quite magnificent. The team at Blood Manor is very aware of horror culture, referencing all your favorite slasher icons and adding a few of their own. Simply, it's the perfect dessert after eating a bucket full of candy goodness.

I believe the only drawback will be the crowds and the massive line you'll have to endure to get to this live action freak show. But if you do brave the weather and the rooms, there is no other haunted house like Blood Manor. It really lives up to the hype its received and shows why its one of the best haunted houses in the nation.

So if you are brave enough to head over to Blood Manor, put on your courage suit of armor and get some knights and damsels to come with you. Just remember, if you get lost you'll be all alone. Well, you're not really going to be alone. You'll have zombies, psychos, maniacs, demons, ghouls and all the freaks to keep you company. Good luck.

jaded viewer related linkage:

Insano Steve vs Blood Manor (Review)

Blood Manor is open now and will be open all Halloween week (excluding Monday). Check out the schedule at the official site. This week, the hours run to 1am and on Fridays and Saturday run up to 2am.

It's located at 542 West 27th Street (btwn 10th & 11th Ave).

Tickets at the door are $30. Online for $25 and there are special "RIP" passes at $40.

Here are some links for more information.

• Official Site
• Facebook Site
  

Insano Steve vs Blood Manor (Review)

**Also check out the jaded viewer's review of Blood Manor**

So the jadedviewer asks me "Hey, you want to check out this haunted house?". Initially, I was very skeptical of the experience. I'm about as "jaded" as they come to such silly so-called interactive role playing adventures. But with the promise of free tickets, who was I to say no? So off to the 'Blood Manor' we went, .....

On a cold wet Friday, we proceeded to the far far far west side of Manhattan to the infamous Blood Manor. As we approached our destination on the desolate street, suddenly my jabroni sense started tingling. Lo and behold, the jabronis were out in force that night. Much to my surprise, it was not fun loving hipsters waiting on line. Instead, the jabronis skewed younger, and much more ethnic. This was not the usual horror crowd. My indifference was slowly increasing.

With the power of the jadedviewer's press credentials, we were whisked to the very front of the line by the friendly PR lady. Oh yes, the guilty pleasure of preferential treatment! Yeah, I hate those people when I'm on the other side, but when you're getting the VIP treatment, it beats the hell out of waiting in the rain like a sucka. Our tour guide really sold us on the horror that awaited us, and that along with skipping the line, actually got me pretty psyched for our trip through the house.

What first struck me was how high the production values were in the individual rooms. Each room had a specific theme to them and the specific details in each were quite impressive. The mannequins in the rooms and the animatronic characters were all well researched and realistic enough. The actors' makeup was movie quality and their acting was professional yet lighthearted.

My favorite room was the 'Apocalypto' room with the caged cannibals and random savages. Other highlights included the slaughterhouse, the stripper zombies and semi-hot ghoul girls, multiple cameos by slasher movie icons, the 3D rooms, and the guy with a penis for a head. These may sound like spoilers but you really have to experience for yourself to take it all in. If you are somebody predisposed to be scared by horror movies, this will definitely be a huge thrill.

The only couple of annoying things I felt was in the beginning, I got a bit lost in the all dark room. A helpful ghoul was nice enough to get out of character and nudge me towards the exit. Also, not a huge fan of the strobe light, but I do see it's merit in terms of the context of a horror movie. Otherwise, I actually wanted to linger around the rooms a little longer to take in all the handiwork the creators put into the rooms, but the actors were so busy 'scaring' me, that I kind had to move along on the tour.

In summary, me and the jaded viewer had a good time at the Blood Manor. During the Halloween season, it really puts you in that creepy mood. A lot of the other people on the tour looked like they were having a great time as well. And certainly, you will be talking about all of the action afterwards, especially who got scared by what, and who screams like a girl. So, if you have the chance, it's definitely worth your time to head out to the far west side and get your horror on. Yup, the Blood Manor is creepy fun for urban youth of all ages!

Blood Manor is open now and will be open all Halloween week (excluding Monday). Check out the schedule at the official site. This week, the hours run to 1am and on Fridays and Saturday run up to 2am.

It's located at 542 West 27th Street (btwn 10th & 11th Ave).

Tickets at the door are $30. Online for $25 and there are special "RIP" passes at $40.

Here are some links for more information.

• Official Site
• Facebook Site