October 2021 - Page 5 of 5

Haunted house season is upon us and this year Scarefest is back in St. Louis with The Darkness, Creepyworld, and The Lemp Haunted House! With so many new and different attractions this year, it is definitely time to revisit the scariest destinations in the area!

This past weekend my wife and I managed to go to two different haunted houses. Friday night we went downtown to the Soulard area and checked out The Darkness for the 2021 season. Terrifying is an understatement. With new covid precautions in place you can be worry free as you navigate the twists and turns through-out this remarkable scream inducing labyrinth of horror. We arrived early to avoid the lines and when we left you can see the crowd was getting bigger. With plenty of parking, security, and screams, The Darkness is something to embrace rather than avoid this time of the year!

The actors and performers at The Darkness were top notch. Their costumes and performances were knocked out of the park. They thoroughly scared me and my wife. That girl swinging and bouncing around in one of the areas has been ingrained in my head as absolutely terrifying. Let’s just say my heart was pumping and it took a while for the adrenaline to wear off.

After a night of getting my head straight we were back at it again. This time we ventured out to Fenton to visit Creepyworld. This place is literally like a whole other world. Fog, lights, strobes, sounds, and so much more fill so many different haunted attractions and each and every one of them lives up to the Creepyworld name. With 13 haunted attractions in one location including the all NEW Slaughter and Sons Funeral Home – Tales of Terror – The Pumpkin Barn and an all-new Krampus haunted house. Creepyworld also features St Louis’ ONLY Haunted Hayride ‘Trick R Treat Haunted Hayride.

Creepyworld is the longest haunted house in the St Louis area by far! Bring your camera as Creepyworld features multiple photo ops for you and your friends! Creepyworld features several haunted houses including Haunted Asylum, Haunted Prison, Haunted Hospital, Sleepyaway Camp, Krampus, Blackout, Silo-X, Haunted Mansion, and the new Sleepy Hollow 3D haunted house. It takes over one hour to complete so bring your friends and scream together!

While we did not get there early enough to avoid a line, we did not have to wait too long to make our way through this hellish adventure. Plus while waiting in line there was plenty of terror to be had. Actors come through and visit with guests and there is also a huge projection setup telling the story of several of the attractions.

Camp Crystal Creek was one of my favorites. Our family is big into Jason and the Friday the 13th lore, so seeing this area fleshed out with well, flesh, and of course Jason, just makes it even scarier. The Krampus house was also a highlight. With more lighting to highlight the Christmas gore and the enslaved children forced to work by Krampus, it really puts a damper on the holiday season.

REMEMBER CREEPYWORLD IS ALMOST COMPLETLY OUTSIDE UNDER THE PALE MOONLIGHT! SCREAM WITH YOUR FRIENDS THIS HALLOWEEN AT CREEPYWORLD with the biggest RENOVATION in our HISTORY!

We plan on visiting the Lemp Brewery Haunted House this year as well. We just have to fit the trip in our schedule, but judging from the photos, it looks amazing and just as creepy and scary as The Darkness and Creepyworld. Follow me on social media for more photos when we do visit!

The Darkness, Creepyworld, and Lemp are all worth visiting this season. I have got to say, props and amazing work by all that make these haunted houses possible. From the actors, designers, and builders, to the security and sales clerks. Check out some of my behind the scenes at The Darkness photos! A haunted house is a great escape from reality with all of the drama and craziness we all endure day after day, and Scarefest is the place to make that happen. It’s amazing what a couple hours of screaming your head off will do for your mental health!

Come on vogue! You got to move to the music! 👻🎃😂🤣 #scarefest #creepyworld #hauntedhouse #halloween2021 pic.twitter.com/ZqMyLKLylX
— Richie Williams (@dadSTL) October 4, 2021

You can grab tickets at the ticket booth or online at Scarefest.com

Follow The Darkness on social media for more awesome details!

Twitter @Scarefest
Instagram @Scarefest
Scarefest on Facebook.com/stlouismissourihauntedhouses
The Darkness on Facebook.com/DarknessHauntedHouse
Creepyworld on Facebook.com/CreepyworldHauntedHouse
Lemp on Facebook.com/lemphauntedhouse

Each locations has different Covid-19 precautions and rules and regulations are changing all the time. Be sure to check out their website if you have any questions!

When you first see the photos for the Van Gogh Immersive Experience you may think to yourself that this looks interesting. What you feel when you actually see it, is something entirely different.

Vincent Van Gogh is probably one of the most well-known names when it comes to art. Just about everyone knows his Starry Night painting. But did you know he painted that while in an asylum? Or do you know what caused the infamous ear incident without searching Google? These are just a couple of facts that you will read about while making your way through the Van Gogh Experience that is now available at the St. Louis Galleria.

Reading personal letters from Vincent to his brother Theo Van Gogh is a peek into the life of an artist that you normally wouldn’t know about. It is very thought provoking and provides insight into the mind of someone just trying to make their way in the world.

Seeing Vincent Van Gogh’s art in this new a technological way is amazing. They dubbed this an immersive experience. Immersive is the perfect word for this art show. Seeing the water in his painting ripple through-out the space, stars and fields flowing with flowers growing, and if you stare long enough at a portrait you might even see it blink.

Taking my daughter to this event was something I was wanting to do since it had been announced. I am thrilled that she got to experience this with me. Seeing her eyes light up as the room changed into another spectacular scene after another was worth spending a little time out of evening. She’s my little artist and it’s so interesting to hear her thoughts on Van Gogh’s brush strokes (he uses a lot of circles, she says), his bright colors, the people, fields, and houses, he paints. She’s still a little kid, so her thoughts don’t go as deep and meaningful as mine, but they’re there, just kid versions.

The event was well attended and there were Covid-19 precautions, like wearing masks and hand sanitizer stations. You probably shouldn’t be touching anything while you’re there anyways, but still there are some spots to wash your hands if needed. There is also a gift shop so you can pick up some Van Gogh themed items like shirts, cups, necklaces, etc. They are all very cool and worth checking out before you walk out the door.

Grab your tickets from vangoghstlouis.com today and enjoy one of the most technological artistic experiences you could ever immerse yourself in!