Through Oct. 31, 268 W. 47th St. (betw. Broadway & 8th Ave.), 212-600-9297; times vary, $40 and up
You want to skip that lame costume party, but hitting a haunted house doesn’t quite have enough dancing or glamour for you? Meet Purgatorio. From the creators of the Box, where scary things happen on a very regular basis, Purgatorio is what might happen if Susanne Bartsch and Elvira got together to throw a party in a tri-level space with more than 100 performers. Billed as “where nightmare meets nightlife,” the show has been getting raves from our horror-obsessed pals as being totally worth the cover price and the trip to Times Square, which can be horrifying enough on its own.This year, Purgatorio seems to be the fear factory to beat.
Through Nov. 7, NOHO Event Center, 623 Broadway (at E. Houston St.), enter on Mercer St., 212-929-2963; times vary, $15 and up
Now in its sixth year, this year the haunted house—kind of like everyone else—has caught vampire fever. NIGHTMARE:Vampires is a haunted house attraction that invites you to explore the Museum of Vampyric Artifacts (we’ll call it MoVa), where the exhibits themselves are just waiting for their moment to attack. Had your fill of Twilight and True Blood vampires? Well you’re not alone.The creator of NIGHTMARE, Timothy Haskell, recently blogged that his haunted house will “take care of the Edward Cullens and the Bill Comptons and the Lestats of the world very early on. The rest is a house teeming with beasts you are wholly unfamiliar with.” The actual museum will still function during the day at an admission cost of $5 but their website warns it “will be more interesting than scary.”
Through Nov. 7, 542 W. 27th St. (betw. 10th & 11th Aves.), 877-340-3002; times vary, $25 and up
Blood Manor, the self-described premier haunted house in New York City, is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, and as far as pure volume is concerned, it’s swinging for the fences.This year the ghouls behind the Chelsea hell house have come up with 19 different environments designed to frighten anyone who enters—to the tune of 37 gallons of fake blood every night. Blood Manor also isn’t afraid to embrace a bit of the camp that is inherent in all horror by promising everything from an “I Scream Parlor” to “Sexy Zombie Strippers.” Because there’s nothing worse than an unsexy zombie stripper.
Through Oct. 31, The Vortex, 164 11th Ave. (betw. W. 22nd & W. 23rd Sts.), 212-206-1764; times vary, $12 and up
Haunted House has a few rules that will appeal to the Halloween battle-hardened right from the start. First of all, you cannot enter if you are under 18. Leave the kiddies behind, because they couldn’t handle the “graphic sexual and extremely violent situations” that Haunted House is boasting. Also, don’t think that this will be a bonding experience for you and your sweetheart: Haunted House insists that everyone goes through its murderous maze alone. You are not allowed to speak (but screaming is recommended), and you have to wear a protective mask that is provided to you at the door, along with a safety word if things get too intense. Having been on dates like this, we can promise that, at the very least, it will make for a good story.
Through Oct. 31, The Sinister Swamp, 5050 Hylan Blvd. & The Flesh Feast, 2449 W. Veterans Rd. (at Mohr St.), Staten Island, 718-967-5039; times vary, $15 and up
What’s scarier than a haunted house? How about a haunted house located in Staten Island! Sure, it’s a trek, but there are certain things that you have to leave Manhattan to enjoy. Sinister Swamp starts off with a chase through a cornfield and ends in a (manufactured) swamp full of monsters. If you want to hear your screams ring through the fresh air—well, the sort-of fresh air—this is definitely your best bet.
Oct. 28 through Oct. 31, Henry Street Settlement/Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand St. (at Pitt St.), 212-532-3101; times vary, $10 and up
Do some of the previous haunted houses sound too cheesy to be fun? Do you have to placate your artistic side before you can consent to a scare or two? Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Steampunk Haunted House is a brand new project that combines the visual artists and modern dancers from Third Rail Projects to create “a series of Victorian, sci-fi environments: clockwork spiders, steamengine cyborgs and mad scientists.” Personally, we don’t require high-concept scares, but if that’s your thing, you’ve come to the right place.
