Terror of Tallahassee

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Terror of Tallahassee is an annual haunted attraction that opens every October in Tallahassee, Florida. With a performance area spanning more than 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2) [1], it is one of the largest haunts in Florida. Unlike the corporate haunts with which it competes, Terror of Tallahassee does not admit patrons in a continuous line, but rather, in small groups. It also forgoes modern animatronics in favor of elaborate illusions, gruesome special effects, and a large cast of performers [1]. “Monsters, murderers, and madmen menace isolated customers as they try to traverse the long, twisting passages in the dark" [2]. Because of the intense scares, it is rated PG-13 and parents are cautioned against sending their kids [3].

Contents

Sample Poster from the Terror of Tallahassee 2011 Terror of Tallahassee Haunt Poster.jpg
Sample Poster from the Terror of Tallahassee

History

Three giant warehouses make up the main building. They were originally part of an F-R-M grain depot built in 1950, but it was closed for a number of years before the property sold in 1999. The new owners gutted the steel building and rebuilt the interior into a giant maze with secret passages for the staff to surprise patrons. It was opened as Nightmares Haunted House in September 2000. It lasted two seasons before closing in 2001. It reopened in 2002 as Bloodlines Haunted House, but again closed. It reopened under new management in 2003 as Terror of Tallahassee and has grown ever since [4].

Spook Show Influence

Many of the special effects used at the Terror of Tallahassee originated in the traveling spook shows of yesteryear [5]. During the mid-20th century, magicians including Bill Neff, Jack Baker, Ray-mond Corbin, and Phillip Morris spellbound millions with black magic shows held in movie theaters at midnight. Their dark performances would feature decapitations, cremations, disintegrations, and similar macabre illusions [6]. Such magicians were called “Ghost Masters,” but the Spook Shows slowly disappeared in the 1970s as older theaters were closed and rebuilt without stages. Kurt Kuersteiner, the managing director at Terror of Tallahassee, traveled the country to meet the surviving Ghost Masters in 2005 while directing a documentary on their craft. As a result, many of the classic illusions they pioneered have been resurrected at the haunt [7].

Sunland Asylum

Another influence on the attraction was Tallahassee's legendary Sunland hospital [8]. Closed in the 1980s, it was originally built as the W.T. Edwards Tuberculosis Hospital, where many T.B. patients were quarantined until their death. It was closed and reopened in the 1968 as Sunland, a hospital housing children with mental disabilities. It became infamous for patient neglect and allegations of cruel and “sub-human” treatment. The dilapidated building was closed for good in 1983 and was widely believed to be haunted. The controversial hospital and its unfortunate inhabitants are recreated in a segment of the haunt. It features equipment salvaged from the hospital before it was demolished in 2006 and further boasts, “(that) the spirits came along for the ride at no extra charge!” [9].

Spine Tingler

The Terror of Tallahassee is also the first public testing facility for the “Spine Tingler” [10], a specially designed rotary woofer that reproduces the subsonic sound spectrum (0 to 20 Hz). Although most of the sound is too low for humans to hear, they can subliminally detect it as the air pressure in the building is affected (see: Infrasound). Advocates claim it “tingles the nerves” [11] and enhances the feelings of a supernatural experience.

Community Theater

Terror of Tallahassee is staffed by an army of volunteers, much like a community theater. Many of the actors return year after year. Most of the props, illusions and scenes are custom designed and built from scratch by the same performers [12]. Although the building is closed eleven months out of the year, the staff continues to build and modify it during the off-season. Management boasts that this provides a unique experience not found anywhere else.

Future Fate

Since the first year it opened, Terror of Tallahassee has operated under the shadow of the Gaines Street Revitalization Project. The original goals of the project threatened to demolish the haunt in order to expand the road beside it, but new plans in 2009 called for reducing the width of Gaines Street instead [13]. However, other changing goals of the project and the resulting gentrification continued to threaten the long-term prospects of the attraction at its original location. UPDATE: The property was sold and demolished in 2014. The actual haunt, however, moved a half mile away to 1408 Lake Bradford Road and continues to operate every October at a giant, abandoned stone cutting factory.

Influence

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tallahassee, Florida</span> Capital city of Florida, United States

Tallahassee is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2022, the estimated population was 201,731, making it the eighth-most populous city in the state of Florida. It is the principal city of the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which itself had an estimated population of 390,992 as of 2022. Tallahassee is the largest city in the Florida Big Bend and Florida Panhandle region, and the main center for trade and agriculture in the Florida Big Bend and Southwest Georgia regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Six Flags New England</span> Theme park in Agawam, Massachusetts

Six Flags New England, formerly known as Gallup's Grove (1870–1886), Riverside Grove (1887–1911), Riverside Park (1912–1995) and Riverside: The Great Escape (1996–2000), is an amusement park located in Agawam, Massachusetts. Opening in the late 19th century, it is the oldest amusement park in the Six Flags chain, acquired by Premier Parks in 1996 and rebranded Six Flags New England in 2000. Superman The Ride is among the park's most notable rides, having appeared as a highly ranked roller coaster in the annual Golden Ticket Awards from Amusement Today since the ride opened in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida panhandle</span> Northwest region of Florida

The Florida panhandle is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida. It is a salient roughly 200 miles (320 km) long, bordered by Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its eastern boundary is arbitrarily defined. It is defined by its southern culture and rural geography relative to the rest of Florida, as well as closer cultural links to French-influenced Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Its major communities include Pensacola, Navarre, Destin, Panama City Beach, and Tallahassee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World of Motion</span> Former attraction at Epcot in Walt Disney World

World of Motion, presented by General Motors, was the former occupant of the transportation pavilion in Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort. It was an opening day attraction at EPCOT Center in 1982 and it closed in 1996 to make way for Test Track, a new thrill ride through a GM testing facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haunted attraction (simulated)</span> Horror-themed recreational venue

A haunted attraction is a form of live entertainment that simulates visiting haunted locations or experiencing horror scenarios. They usually feature fearsome sets and characters, especially demons, ghosts, skeletons, zombies, monsters, possessed people, witches, serial killers, and slashers. Humorous characters may also be included.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunland Hospital</span>

Sunland Hospital refers to a chain of state schools located throughout the state of Florida.

The history of Tallahassee, Florida, much like the history of Leon County, dates back to the settlement of the Americas. Beginning in the 16th century, the region was colonized by Europeans, becoming part of Spanish Florida. In 1819, the Adams–Onís Treaty ceded Spanish Florida, including modern-day Tallahassee, to the United States. Tallahassee became a city and the state capital of Florida in 1821; the American takeover led to the settlements' rapid expansion as growing numbers of cotton plantations began to spring up nearby, increasing Tallahassees' population significantly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miracle Strip Amusement Park</span> Former American amusement park

Miracle Strip Amusement Park was a theme park located in Panama City Beach, Florida, which operated from 1963 to 2004. The highlight of the park was The Starliner Roller Coaster, an "out-and-back" wooden coaster designed by John Allen upon the park's initial conception. A few other rides lay near the Starliner and a small arcade center and food stands rounded out the fledgling park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennhurst State School and Hospital</span> Hospital in Pennsylvania, United States

Pennhurst State School and Hospital, originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania State Institution for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic was a state-run institution for mentally and physically disabled individuals of Southeastern Pennsylvania located in Spring City. After 79 years of controversy, it closed on December 9, 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friendship Fountain</span> Fountain in Jacksonville, Florida, US

Friendship Fountain is a large fountain in Jacksonville, Florida. It is in St. Johns River Park at the west end of Downtown Jacksonville's Southbank Riverwalk attraction. The world's largest and tallest fountain when it opened, it has been one of Jacksonville's most recognizable and popular attractions.

The FSView & Florida Flambeau is a for-profit newspaper owned by the Gannett Company that covers the on-campus events, happenings, and trends of the Florida State University as well as concerts, museum and art exhibits, movies, literature and poetry readings, and other events from the larger Tallahassee community. In early August 2006, the FSView made national news as being the first privately owned, college-oriented newspaper to be bought by a major newspaper chain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phantom Theater</span> Former dark ride at Kings Island

Phantom Theater was a dark ride located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, United States. Manufactured by Morgan Manufacturing, the ride opened to the public on April 11, 1992. Its design incorporated a continuously-moving chain of vehicles similar to Disney's Omnimover ride system. The attraction was furnished with sets and characters created by R&R Creative Amusement Designs, Inc., and it was themed as a haunted, abandoned theater.

Monsterwax is an American trading card company that specializes in science fiction and horror themes. It was established in 1992, making it the oldest American card company still in business exclusively producing non-sports trading card sets. Many trading card companies like Topps are corporate subsidiaries that primarily produce sports-related issues. However, Monsterwax is a small privately owned company focusing primarily on non-licensed entertainment cards. They usually release only one to three series a year. Monsterwax generally limits their print runs to less than 500 boxes and numbers each box and checklist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Derwent Hospital</span> Former hospital in Tasmania, Australia

The Royal Derwent Hospital, was built to house mentally ill and mentally handicapped persons in 1827, soon after the separation of Van Diemens Land from New South Wales. Its name was changed on 27 March 1968 to the Royal Derwent Hospital., also absorbing the nearby Millbrook Rise facility on 1 July 1968 to house patients. It was open for more than 170 years, finally closing in November 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cutting Edge Haunted House</span>

Cutting Edge Haunted House is a haunted house attraction located in an abandoned meat packing factory in Fort Worth, Texas. It was opened in October, 1991. It utilizes old machinery from when the building was a meat packing plant as part of its attraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nightmare on 13th Haunted House</span> Haunted house attraction in Salt Lake City, USA

Nightmare on 13th is a haunted house in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is one of the largest and longest-running haunted attractions in the United States and is considered one of the best and scariest in the city. Nightmare on 13th is also the only haunted house in Utah that has two haunted attractions as well as a kid/family-friendly option. As of 2023, they have been in business for over 35 years. More than 1.5 million people have visited this haunted house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingseat Hospital (New Zealand)</span> Hospital in Auckland Region, New Zealand

Kingseat Hospital was a psychiatric hospital that is considered to be one of New Zealand's notorious haunted locations with over one hundred claims of apparitions being reported, as of 2011. It is located in Karaka, New Zealand, south of Auckland. Since 2005 it has been used as a site for Spookers, a haunted theme park. Spookers is believed to be Australasia's only haunted attraction scream park as of 2011, and "the number 1 Haunted Attraction in the Southern Hemisphere". According to stuff.co.nz, Kingseat Hospital is considered one of the most haunted locations in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida A&M Hospital</span> Hospital in Florida, United States

Florida Agriculture & Mechanical Hospital (1911-1971) was the first institution in Florida providing medical care to African Americans, who, during the segregation period, were not permitted to receive care at whites-only hospitals. There was no other such institution within 150 miles (240 km) of Tallahassee. In 1940, "less than a dozen" counties in Florida had hospital facilities for Negroes.

References

1. Norbert, Grace. “The Terror of Tallahassee haunted house gets bigger and better each year” [link to: http://www.monsterwax.com/fsview2010.html] FSView 2010-10-28.

2. “Lights Out Night” [link to: http://www.monsterwax.com/lightsoutTOT.html] Monsterwax.com. Retrieved 20 November 2010.

3. “Warning” [link to: http://www.monsterwax.com/blinking.html] Monsterwax.com. Retrieved 20 November 2010.

4. “Our Haunted History” [link to: http://www.monsterwax.com/history.html ] Monsterwax.com. Retrieved 20 November 2010.

5. “Terror of Tallahassee, Florida Haunted Attraction Profile” [link to: http://www.hauntworld.com/haunted_house_in_tallahassee_Florida_terror_of_tallahassee] Hauntworld.com. Retrieved 21 November 2010.

6. “Our Haunted History” [link to: http://www.monsterwax.com/history.html ] Monsterwax.com. Retrieved 21 November 2010.

7. Boruch-Dolan, Cara. “Halloween is not just for football” [link to: http://www.monsterwax.com/2009FSView.html] FSView 2009-10-29.

8. “Sunland Asylum!” [link to: http://www.monsterwax.com/sunland.html] Monsterwax.com. Retrieved 21 November 2010.

9. Pecquet, Julian. “There’s a reason for that frightened feeling” [link to: http://www.monsterwax.com/demarticle2005.html] Tallahassee Democrat 2005-10-30.

10. Norbert, Grace. “The Terror of Tallahassee haunted house gets bigger and better each year” [link to: http://www.monsterwax.com/fsview2010.html] FSView 2010-10-28.

11. “Wanna Help Haunt?” [link to: http://www.monsterwax.com/helphaunt.html] Monsterwax.com. Retrieved 21 November 2010.

12. “Our Haunted History” [link to: http://www.monsterwax.com/history.html ] Monsterwax.com. Retrieved 21 November 2010.

30°26′08″N84°17′48″W / 30.4355°N 84.2966°W / 30.4355; -84.2966