REVIEW: ‘TerrorVision’ is one of the best haunted houses in NYC
Photo: TerrorVision is the latest haunted house from the folks at Terror. The immersive experience is scary as hell. Photo courtesy of Hal Schulman, Terror 2023 / Provided by Keith Sherman and Associates with permission.
NEW YORK — The folks at Terror are back with another terrifying haunted house in New York City. This time they present the immersive experience known as TerrorVision at the fictional Horrorwood Studios. The Midtown Manhattan show, located in the heart of the Theater District, has different levels of scare for unsuspecting guests. This reviewer entered the haunted house with a glow stick wrapped around his neck, meaning the frights were personalized, more intimate and a tad more terrifying. Others can opt for the general admission category or even the “chicken” level, which makes the patron “invisible” to the actors.
The premise of this haunted house is the making of a horror movie at Horrorwood Studios. Audience members line up in the lobby area, which is decked out with smoke machines and towering Halloween statuary that perfectly set the mood. A few zombified ushers welcome the patrons to their 20 minutes of hell, reminding them of the rules and how to remain safe. Then, it’s into a creaky, creepy elevator for a ride into the heart of Horrorwood.
The actual haunted house is a labyrinthine maze where every dark corner is filled with an impressively scary actor ready to scream, shout and come within inches of one’s face. The set design, courtesy of artistic directors Will Munro and Katie McGeoch, is characteristically spooky and assaulting to the senses. The scares are bloody and distressing, but never taken too far that one can’t laugh at the end of the experience. This is a haunted house that relies on artistry and well-earned “boo” moments, much more than sadism.
The details of the haunted house should remain a secret, otherwise the fun would be spoiled, but rest assured that after 20 minutes, patrons descend upon 43rd Street with a yearning for safety and peacefulness. And for those who love this frightening season of Halloween, the trip into these scary hallways is wondrous and satisfying.
Thanks to its choice location in Midtown Manhattan, TerrorVision may be one of the most prominently displayed scares in the city. So many passersby on the street see the undulating wafts of smoke and the atmospheric lighting in the lobby area, and realize something is going down in Horrorwood.
For this reviewer, who lived to tell this tale, TerrorVision was the best haunted house of the season in the New York City area so far. It’d be hard to beat the immersive quality of Munro and McGeoch’s shared vision. They have an interesting premise of media and film, and they make their dream/nightmare come alive with a cast of hard-working actors who shriek and dismay as the audience tries to look the other way.
TerrorVision is scary as hell.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
TerrorVision: Experience the Terror Live continues at Horrorwood Studios on West 43rd Street until Sunday, Nov. 5. Click here for more information and tickets.
