By Angela Sasaki
Special to The Collegian
Halloween is approaching fast, and local haunted house general manager Dexter Morgan said Haunted Fresno is a choice spot for college students looking for a fun, yet terrifying, night they will never forget.
Haunted Fresno runs through October on Friday and Saturday nights from 7 p.m. to midnight, and Sundays and Halloween from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Located at 665 Fulton St. in Downtown Fresno, the haunted house has six attractions including the Fortress of Fear, House of Zombies, The Séance, Hellevator, Last Ride and the Museum of Oddities.
Morgan said Haunted Fresno is one of the scarier haunted houses around.
“I’ve been to all the other haunted houses in the area, and some of them are very good,” he said. “We try to go the extra mile in our detailing and our theming, and we’ve got some stuff in there that nobody else has.”
Actor department manager Xandra Hobe agrees that Haunted Fresno is an excellent venue for people looking for fun and entertainment this time of year.
“You can go to a Halloween party, but you could also go to an attraction, and you don’t have to clean up the mess,” Hobe said. “You can just get all your friends in a car and go out.”
In addition to a terrifying experience, Morgan said Haunted Fresno is also great for students because it is reasonably priced, and students can save money and have fun at the same time.
“Combo tickets start as low as $18,” he said. “But a full combo ticket for every attraction in the entire haunted house is $26.”
Tickets can also be purchased individually, Morgan said.
“Two of the houses run together, so a ticket just for that is $20,” Morgan said. “A ticket just for The Séance is $10, a ticket just for the Hellevator is $5 and the Last Ride is also $5, so it ends up being a $40 value.
“And you get it for $26.”
Fresno State student Briana Valencia, 19, said she enjoys going to haunted houses because she loves the thrill of it.
“I see somebody standing, but it’s not really a statue. It’s a real person, and they scream when you are passing by,” she said laughing. “I like being scared.”
Unlike Valencia, Fresno State student Shetaye Ermias, 27, said she purposely avoids haunted houses because she finds them terrifying.
“I don’t like not knowing,” Ermias said. “You think something is going to pop out at the right, but someone else attacks you at the left or grabs your leg, and all I want to do is just faint or not be there.”
Hobe said that Haunted Fresno is definitely not for the faint at heart.
“After years of having to escort people out because they can’t go through the whole way, I would definitely say it is scary,” she said.
Along with the spooky attractions, Morgan said there are also going to be a few special events.
“We’ve got the pinup girls from 559 Flirt,” he said. “They do the Marilyn Monroe-type pinup stuff.
“We have a red carpet that is going to be out there so people can take pictures with them, and, of course, it will be out there every day that we are open.”
Morgan said that the Sanger Paranormal Society is also going to be there one night.
“They are coming out on the 27th to do a live webcast from here, and we’ve got a couple other things that are in the works,” he said.
Hobe said that she, Morgan and the whole cast work hard to create a fun environment for everyone.
“We want to entertain people,” she said. “We have a midway with a DJ, music and food, so it’s an event; it’s a night.
“We wanted to bring some fun nightlife to Fresno, and we love the theme of Halloween, and we love haunted houses.”
For more information on Haunted Fresno, visit www.hauntedfresno.com or call 559-498-0960.
