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Extreme Haunts: Why (Some of Us) Want to Live in Fear

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Do you love horror movies? I mean really love horror movies? Would you want to experience that level of fear in real life? Participants of Extreme Haunts – such as McKamey Manor, Gates of Hell and BLACKOUT – submit themselves to all kinds of terror and torture to do just that.

They are – of course – controlled environments, however, participants don’t have any indication of what exactly they’re in for. The McKamey Manor haunt, for example, can last up to 7 hours, and they typically only allow a small number of carefully selected patrons per weekend. Think of it as less of a haunted house and more of a horror marathon.

Described by many as “the most terrifying experience on Earth”, participants could be tied up, gagged, force-fed rotten eggs and other nasty things, covered in blood and other questionable substances, and shoved into caskets or freezers for long periods of time. They don’t use a safe word, so you’re locked in until the whole ordeal is over. No amount of begging or screaming will get you out.

But why, you may ask, would someone sign up for that on their own volition? Well believe it or not, there are actually around 24,000 people on that particular waiting list.

via Pinterest

A tense and terrifying scene from a horror movie may trigger our “agent detection mechanism” – a nifty little evolutionary trait that maintains constant vigilance in uncertain situations. It’s that cringe of dread that makes us stay alert and aware of any danger. Once the muscle-tightening, breath-holding and heart-pounding subside, you feel an intense wave of relief. Our body triggers a release of adrenaline, endorphins, and dopamine that ends up feeling pretty damn good.

For some, the fight-or-flight trigger that they used to get from horror movies just isn’t there anymore. They’ve trained themselves to know that what they’re seeing isn’t real. Perhaps, in this training, there arises the desire to test their mettle in similar situations. To go up against a Jason or a Leatherface and come out victorious. To truly “live out your own horror movie”. These haunts can be a safe way to test out your psychological survival skills without any real danger.

Part of what makes extreme haunts so successful is that they create a safe space that doesn’t always feel safe. BLACKOUT creator Josh Randall explains that they typically receive a better response when it’s something that feels real. Being kidnapped or tortured, for example.

When participants are placed in a maze with costumed zombies or vampires chasing them, it’s a fun thrill. But it doesn’t feel like a real threat. Having a stranger tie you up, physically attack you and scream in your face elicits a much more visceral response. I should note that BLACKOUT participants are required to go through the haunt alone.

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via The Raven & Black Cat

Extreme haunts allow the participants to project their own fears into the situation. If you happen to have a fear of drowning, being forced underwater will be particularly effective in scaring you senseless. They prey on these fears – using elements like claustrophobia, psychosexuality, violence, and complete darkness – to break you down and leave you shaking.

One of the many differences between your run-of-the-mill haunted house and an extreme haunt is the complete lack of control over your experience. If you’re being herded through a haunt like cattle, you can clearly see the actor in a rubber mask jumping out mechanically after every 4 or 5 people.

When you’re forced to go through an extreme haunt alone, you don’t know what to expect or when to expect it. You must completely submit yourself to the experience, knowing the reputation of how intense the experience should be. Your fight-or-flight response is on constant overdrive. You’re exhausted into a state of pure terror.

Participants may take part in an extreme haunt to feel like they’ve accomplished or survived something extraordinarily difficult – which, by all accounts, they have. The haunts are described as controlled and safe, but they may not feel that way. The struggle is real. The terror is real. McKamey Manor, in particular, has come under criticism with conservative online groups targeting the attraction’s extreme methods.

Some people may relish the idea of submitting themselves to this level of torture at the hands of total strangers. Others – if faced with the same situation – would go straight for throat-punches with a resounding “NO THANK YOU!”. So what do you think? Would you be up for one of these extreme haunts, and if so, why? Check out our video below and tell us if you’re on board.

Feature image and video clip courtesy of Chris Fischer

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The Pope’s Exorcist Officially Announces New Sequel

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The Pope’s Exorcist is one of those films that’s just fun to watch. It isn’t the most terrifying film around, but there’s something about Russel Crow (Gladiator) playing a wise cracking Catholic priest that just feels right.

Screen Gems seems to agree with this assessment, as they have just officially announced that The Pope’s Exorcist sequel is in the works. It makes sense that Screen Gems would want to keep this franchise going, considering the first film scared up almost $80 million with a budget of only $18 million.

The Pope's Exorcist
The Pope’s Exorcist

According to Crow, there may even be a The Pope’s Exorcist trilogy in the works. However, recent changes with the studio may have put the third film on hold. In a sit-down with The Six O’Clock Show, Crow gave the following statement about the project.

“Well that’s in discussion at the moment. The producers originally got the kick off from the studio not just for one sequel but for two. But there’s been a change of studio heads at the moment, so that’s going around in a few circles. But very definitely, man. We set that character up that you could take him out and put him into a lot of different circumstances.”

Crow has also stated that film’s source material involves twelve separate books. This would allow the studio to take the story in all kinds of directions. With that much source material, The Pope’s Exorcist could even rival The Conjuring Universe.

Only the future will tell what becomes of The Pope’s Exorcist. But as always, more horror is always a good thing.

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New ‘Faces of Death’ Remake Will Be Rated R For “Strong Bloody Violence and Gore”

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In a move that should surprise absolutely no one, the Faces of Death reboot has been given an R rating from the MPA. Why has the film been given this rating? For strong bloody violence, gore, sexual content, nudity, language, and drug use, of course.

What else would you expect from a Faces of Death reboot? It would honestly be alarming if the film received anything less than an R rating.

Faces of death
Faces of Death

For those unaware, the original Faces of Death film released in 1978 and promised viewers video evidence of real deaths. Of course, this was just a marketing gimmick. Promoting a real snuff film would be a terrible idea.

But the gimmick worked, and franchise lived on in infamy. The Faces of Death reboot is hoping to gain the same amount of viral sensation as its predecessor. Isa Mazzei (Cam) and Daniel Goldhaber (How to Blow Up a Pipeline) will spearhead this new addition.

The hope is that this reboot will do well enough to recreate the infamous franchise for a new audience. While we don’t know much about the film at this point, but a joint statement from Mazzei and Goldhaber gives us the following info on the plot.

“Faces of Death was one of the first viral video tapes, and we are so lucky to be able to use it as a jumping off point for this exploration of cycles of violence and the way they perpetuate themselves online.”

“The new plot revolves around a female moderator of a YouTube-like website, whose job is to weed out offensive and violent content and who herself is recovering from a serious trauma, that stumbles across a group that is recreating the murders from the original film. But in the story primed for the digital age and age of online misinformation, the question faced is are the murders real or fake?”

The reboot will have some bloody shoes to fill. But from the looks of it, this iconic franchise is in good hands. Unfortunately, the film does not have a release date at this time.

That’s all the information we have at this time. Make sure to check back here for more news and updates.

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Movie Reviews

Panic Fest 2024 Review: ‘The Ceremony Is About To Begin’

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People will look for answers and belonging in the darkest places and the darkest people. The Osiris Collective is a commune predicated upon ancient Egyptian theology and was run by the mysterious Father Osiris. The group boasted dozens of members, each forgoing their old lives for one held in the Egyptian themed land owned by Osiris in Northern California. But the good times take a turn for the worst when in 2018, an upstart member of the collective named Anubis (Chad Westbrook Hinds) reports Osiris disappearing while mountain climbing and declaring himself the new leader. A schism ensued with many members leaving the cult under Anubis’ unhinged leadership. A documentary is being made by a young man named Keith (John Laird) whose fixation with The Osiris Collective stems from his girlfriend Maddy leaving him for the group several years ago. When Keith gets invited to document the commune by Anubis himself, he decides to investigate, only to get wrapped up in horrors he couldn’t even imagine…

The Ceremony Is About To Begin is the latest genre twisting horror film from Red Snow‘s Sean Nichols Lynch. This time tackling cultist horror along with a mockumentary style and the Egyptian mythology theme for the cherry on top. I was a big fan of Red Snow‘s subversiveness of the vampire romance sub-genre and was excited to see what this take would bring. While the movie has some interesting ideas and a decent tension between the meek Keith and the erratic Anubis, it just doesn’t exactly thread everything together in a succinct fashion.

The story begins with a true crime documentary style interviewing former members of The Osiris Collective and sets-up what led the cult to where it is now. This aspect of the storyline, especially Keith’s own personal interest in the cult, made it an interesting plotline. But aside from some clips later on, it doesn’t play as much a factor. The focus is largely on the dynamic between Anubis and Keith, which is toxic to put it lightly. Interestingly, Chad Westbrook Hinds and John Lairds are both credited as writers on The Ceremony Is About To Begin and definitely feel like they’re putting their all into these characters. Anubis is the very definition of a cult leader. Charismatic, philosophical, whimsical, and threateningly dangerous at the drop of a hat.

Yet strangely, the commune is deserted of all cult members. Creating a ghost town that only amps up the danger as Keith documents Anubis’ alleged utopia. A lot of the back and forth between them drags at times as they struggle for control and Anubis keeps continuing to convince Keith to stick around despite the threatening situation. This does lead to a pretty fun and bloody finale that fully leans into mummy horror.

Overall, despite meandering and having a bit of a slow pace, The ceremony Is About To Begin is a fairly entertaining cult, found footage, and mummy horror hybrid. If you want mummies, it delivers on mummies!

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