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| - Freakling Brothers delivers on the scares with three haunted houses. Circus of Horrors is a funny and scary circus themed house with creepy clowns and sideshow attractions. Castle Vampire feels like walking through a haunted castle, with some really great effects like hidden passages, bridge, shrinking room, and vampires of course. Both of these houses are fine for teens and brave kids. The actors don't touch you in Castle Vampire or Circus.
The Gates of Hell, which Freakling bills as the first R-rated haunted house, is unique from the others in that the actors can (and will!) touch you. You've died and gone to hell, and you're treated as such. It's really fun to suspend disbelief for a while and just enjoy the experience.
They will usually send you through in groups of four. There is some pushing to move you from room to room, or place to place. It gets physical, but there's no groping or anything inappropriate. At one point, an actor grabs someone from your group and holds them hostage; it's scary when you're the one chosen. There is another part where if you touch some dangling wires you can get shocked (just keep your hands in tight by the fence,) and another part later with an actress wearing "electric fingers" who will probably touch you. The shocks are, well, shocking, but I think it tickles more than hurt; it's pretty low voltage stuff. No other spoilers are needed. They make you sign a waver. No touching back is allowed or you'll get tossed out. There is a safe word if it gets too intense.
Gates of Hell is not for everyone, but it is awesome for those who can handle a little extra from a haunted house. Freakling goes the extra mile to make Gates of Hell an unforgettable experience. But stick to Circus and Castle if youre in poor health or bad language and pushing is not your thing.
I had so much fun on my first visit that I went another night and got the all-night pass so I could go through a bunch more times. I got the $10 t-shirt that gets you to the front of the line for all three houses for the whole season. Gates of Hell holds up well on repeat visits. Castle Vampire also merits another go thru. Five stars for the trilogy.
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