Haunting from p 20 Eddie Shriner’s Home Haunt 2427 West Vista Avenue Eddie Shriner’s massive display of hundreds of life-sized creatures and frightening figures has moved to his new residence in north Phoenix (owing to his previous house burning to the ground in April) but is just as eerie as ever. The collection, which stretches from the front yard into the back, is as vast as it is unsettling. There are mannequins of horror film icons like Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers. Dozens of insidious pumpkins and a flock of spooky scarecrows. And enough freaky-looking clowns to give you a raging case of coulro- phobia. Some are animatronic. Others are stationary. Most are terrifying. Shiner spends tens of thousands adding new stuff to his collection and this year’s haul, which cost $30,000, includes a towering witch and werewolf from Home Depot. “I’ve buy everything,” he says, laughing. Hours and prices: On display nightly, 7 to 9 p.m. through Halloween, weather permitting. The House of Haunts 8325 East Lincoln Drive, Scottsdale facebook.com/houseofhauntsarizona Scottsdale resident Steve Birkett has been creating Halloween displays since 1983 and utilizes his decades of experience to create one of the most gorgeous and intricate DIY haunted houses in the Valley. The walk-through experience encom- passes the exterior of his home and offers thrills and chills galore, as well as animated props, special effects, and a synchronized thunder and lightning show. Patrons can walk past a spooky graveyard occupying the front yard and into an elaborate Lost Dutchman Mine that’s an homage to a ride at the old Legend City theme park. Elsewhere, you’ll encounter a laser-filled swamp and areas inspired by the Overlook Hotel from The Shining, complete with elevators and crystal chandeliers, and Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion. Hours and prices: Open nightly, 6:45 to 10 p.m., from October 27 to 31. A $5 donation is requested. House of Fear 13837 North 181st Avenue, Surprise houseoffearaz.com Every October, Russ Dehlinger and Blanca Real transform their acre-sized property into a sprawling outdoor walk-through haunt composed of multiple displays, each with its own frightening theme and cast of ghoulish and ghastly characters. During the 25-minute-long experience, visitors will encounter areas inspired by Stranger Things, Alice in Wonderland, and Snow White. There’s even a ’50s-style diner containing a chainsaw-wielding psychopath. What it lacks in historical accuracy, it more than makes up for in sheer terror. Hours and prices: Operates from 7 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturdays; and 7 to 9 p.m., Sundays and Halloween night from October 14 to 31. Admission is free. and other creatures of the night await inside, each of which will do almost anything to scare you (save for touching, which is verboten at any haunted house). Hours and prices: Operates 6 to 10 p.m. on Thursdays, and 6 to 11 p.m., Friday to Sunday, and on Halloween night. General admission is $25, a “VIP Terror Pass” (which includes a behind-the-scenes tour at 5 p.m.. skip-the-line privileges, and other perks) is $40, and an “Ultimate Terror Pass” offering unlimited admission for the entire season is $100. A non-scary “Ghost Walk Tour” for children, families, and those with disabilities is available from 5 to 6 p.m. for $15 per person. Benjamin Leatherman Some of the many lifesized and oversized figures making up Eddie Shriner’s yard display. AZ Beetlehouse 1423 East Earll Drive instagram.com/azbeetlehouse Think you’re a Beetlejuice fan? You ain’t got nothing on Karen Lennon and Matthew Wiley, who have watched Tim Burton’s 1988 fantasy comedy film hundreds of times (“And it keeps getting funnier every single time we see it!”) and turned their yard into a celebration of its scenes and characters. There’s a full-sized mockup of Dante’s Inferno Room (the brothel seen in the movie), an enormous sandworm stretching across their lawn, and manne- quins dressed like doomed couple Barbara and Adam Maitland in their ghoulish disguises. It’s only gotten bigger and better since debuting in 2018, as the couple has added elements like Beetlejuice’s grave. This year, they’re debuting a screen- accurate version of the afterlife waiting room, complete with a couch occupied by the Magician’s Assistant (a.k.a. the ill-fated female who was sawed in half), on their porch. Feel free to stop by and get a photo as the display is popular on both Instagram and TikTok. Hours and prices: On display nightly, dusk to 11 p.m. It’s free to check out. Scary Christmas House 4431 West Escuda Drive, Glendale scarychristmashouse.com Back in 2018, Bob Spacy took a page from Jack Skellington and created his own tribute to The Nightmare Before Christmas at his two-story Glendale home. It boasts his handmade versions of the props, elements, and cast from the movie, as well as more than 100,000 lights. During the scary season, Spacy adds more Halloween- oriented decorations. This year, he’s built dozens of new elements, including Oogie Boogie’s Lair and a flying recreation of Zero the Dog that flits about the scene. We’re sure Jack would be proud of Spacy’s efforts. Hours and prices: Runs 6 to 10 p.m., Sunday to Thursday; 6 to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday. Admission is free. Haunted Graveyard 8414 East Valley Vista Drive, Scottsdale hauntedgraveyardaz.com The Birkett family of Scottsdale goes beyond the pale every Halloween, presenting one of Arizona’s biggest, best, and most popular DIY displays. Rivaling most pro haunts, it encompasses the exterior of their four-bedroom home and is a macabre mix of Edward Gorey, Charles Addams, and Walt Disney. A graveyard equipped with animatronic headstones, fog machines, singing pumpkins, and a fire-breathing dragon occupy the front yard. The garage houses a cramped, claus- trophobia-inducing maze through a decrepit mansion. Along the side of the house are haunted mine tunnels leading to a spooky scene around the backyard pool. Pro-tip: Arrive early in the evening, as the turnout is huge and long lines are the norm. Hours and prices: A family-friendly version without actors will be offered from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on October 25 and 26. The regular version is available from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. on October 27 to 31. A $5 dona- tion is recommended. PROFESSIONAL HAUNTED HOUSES AND ATTRACTIONS Terror in Tolleson 9210 West Van Buren Street, Tolleson 602-303-0179 terrorintolleson.com What started out as a home haunt in 2015 has since become a full-fledged profes- sional Halloween attraction sponsored by the city of Tolleson. Spanning 46,500 square feet, it will promises to deliver the “panic of a lifetime” to patrons as they wander through the darkness of four indi- vidually themed “scare zones.” A rogue’s gallery of roaming ghouls, ghosts, zombies, AZ Field of Screams 5726 North 75th Avenue, Glendale 602-999-3276 azfieldofscreams.com Fair warning: Wicked things lurk in the shadows of the haunted corn maze at Glendale’s Tolmachoff Farms — and they’re on the lookout for fresh meat. Evil clowns, chainsaw-wielding freaks, and slasher film villains like Freddy Krueger prey upon hapless patrons who wander along a disorienting, mile-long dirt path through the corn, leaping out suddenly and causing plenty of screams — hence the name. In other words, expect plenty of jump scares at this long-running Halloween favorite, which has been around for almost two decades. Its propri- etors don’t spare the scares and don’t offer refunds. If you’d prefer something a little tamer, friendlier mazes with zero frights are also offered. Hours and prices: Open from 7 to 11 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, through October 29, and on Halloween night. Admission is $25 for just the haunted maze or $30 for every maze. Sanctum of Horror 6555 East Southern Avenue, Mesa 480-200-8163 sanctumofhorror.com The family behind this professional haunted house, which has been operating since the early 2000s, loves playing on the fears of its patrons with a mix of frightful sights and killer characters. Situated in the parking lot of Mesa’s Superstition Springs Mall, it features two separate areas that pile on the scares: “The Breach” involves an abandoned military bunker where something sinister is lurking about. Next door is “Sanctum of Horror,” which depicts the gore-filled childhood home of an escaped mental patient named Lenore and the asylum where she was imprisoned. She supposedly haunts both places and will exact revenge on anyone whose presence she senses. In other words, prepare for a close encounter with the twisted lass. Hours and prices: Operates Friday to Sunday, through October 9. They’ll expand to Thursday to Sunday starting on October 13 and then operate nightly from October 26 to 31. Doors open at 7 p.m. each night with closing times varying. Tickets are $28 for general admission to both >> p 25 23 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES OCT 6TH–OCT 12TH, 2022
