Event Review: Long Island Fear Fest
October 19, 2009
By Christopher Boyle
(Old Bethpage ,N.Y.) - I like all things dark and creepy, so when I was approached with reviewing a full dress rehearsal of the Long Island Fear Fest (free media admission given), a new haunted house attraction opening on October 16th for the upcoming Halloween season, I jumped at the chance. And when I got there, I jumped some more, although for a very different reason- the joint is scary.
Now, I must preface the body of this article by stating that horror is old hat when it comes to me. Over the years I’ve seen a vast selection of horror movies and traversed my fair share of spooky locales. I have an enormous collection of Friday the 13th memorabilia and have, in fact, been choked by Jason Voorhees actor Kane Hodder himself (seriously). Last year my girlfriend and I made the trek to Eastern State Penitentiary, an abandoned, dilapidated old prison located in Philadelphia, PA that hosts a horrifying event called “Terror Behind the Walls” every Halloween. I consider the macabre works of H. P. Lovecraft “light reading.” So, when someone asks me for my opinion on spooky stuff, I personally feel that I’m more than qualified to give it.
Long Island Fear Fest is set up in the Fair Exhibition Building (home to the annual Long Island Fair) on the grounds of historic Old Bethpage Village Restoration (located in Old Bethpage, NY). The showing I attended was a preview only for friends, family, and the media, so full outdoor lighting wasn’t set up yet, making actually finding the local somewhat daunting. But once I ran into Marty Arominski, the man behind the proceedings, things finally got rolling. He directed me down the dark, lonely road that led to the Fear Fest, and once I parked my car and negotiated some mammoth puddles (appropriately, it was raining that evening), I finally took in the structure housing the Fear Fest itself. From the outside, the building is rather innocent and unassuming, but that’s blatantly offset by the ghoulish sounds coming from within. With my trusty 12 year-old nephew in tow, I steeled myself and entered.
Fear Fest advertises itself as three separate haunted houses, but in reality what that amounts to is the Fair Exhibition Building (essentially a huge barn) being cordoned off into three different sections, with the middle of the building serving a central hub to access them all. Each section contains a dark labyrinth populated by pressure plate-activated booby traps, devilish props and lighting, and unsettling imagery. The frosting on the cake was provided (as it should be in any respectable haunted house) by costumed actors representing both frightening original character creations and an eclectic mix of modern horror’s most popular icons (as well as a few surprises- the Yuletide-themed section and its not-so-jolly denizen were especially inspired). Each maze is unique, varied, and contains its own individual pitfalls, loud noises, and demonic threats. Oh, and let’s not forget about plenty of things that’ll jump out and scare you, or (even worse) just stand there and do absolutely nothing instead. If you ask me, edging past some freak that may or may not lunge at you is far more unnerving sometimes (not being able to tell the actors from the statues doesn’t help either!). But for the faint of heart, rest assured that the actors will NOT actually touch you (and you’re not allowed to touch them either, or its out to the parking lot with you!).
Overall, Long Island Fear Fest is a great choice if you’re in the mood to test the upper limits of your bladder control this Halloween season. Unlike the aforementioned “Terror Within the Walls” in Philadelphia, Fear Fest head honcho Marty Arominski (and sons- it appears terror is a family business) didn’t have the advantage of hosting his event in a decaying prison that’s still pretty scary even when it’s NOT done up for All-Saints Eve. In stark contrast, the Exhibition Building at Old Bethpage, normally a rather pleasant building, has been painstakingly and convincingly transformed into a very effective haunted house- not an easy task, since each maze had to be designed and built from scratch. But, what really makes Fear Fest work is its actors, brought together for this endeavor via open casting calls and Craigslist ads. They display a great deal of energy and enthusiasm when it comes to terrorizing their innocent customers into possible panic-induced comas, and that’s really what makes Fear Fest stand out from its many competitors this Halloween season.
Of course, nothing is perfect- three “haunted houses” in one may sound like a lot, but in reality each “house” is a bit smaller than I would have liked, and admission is a bit steep at $12 per person per entry for each one (or $25 for all three, which is a better deal). I personally think it would have been more effective if all three “houses” were combined into one mammoth maze of horror, especially if they incorporated the central hub area into the design for additional scares. But as it is, I would call Fear Fest “quality” over “quantity.”
Despite these quibbles, Long Island Fear Fest is a great deal of fun for both grown-ups and older children (my nephew had a blast, but parents might want to decide if it’s right for their own kids). Highly recommended.
Posted by News LI Editor · Filed Under Entertainment
Have a press release or local story you would like us to review? Let us know about it!
| You can Bookmark & Share this page by clicking here: |
|
More Long Island News
-
Long Island Exchange is the leading resource on Long Island New York for news and business. Find Long Island news, check local weather, real estate, classifieds, and auto dealer listings for Long Island.
News Comments for this Article
Got something to say? Be sure you've read and understand our (Terms of Service)
You may not post any unlawful, threatening, defamatory, obscene, pornographic or other material that would violate the law. All comments should be relevant to the topic and remain respectful of other authors and commenters. You are solely responsible for your own comments, the consequences of posting those comments, and the consequences of any reliance by you on the comments of others. More...
