The House of Shock Horror Show Haunted House, New Orleans, LA

October 27th, 2009

(0 votes)

 Loading ...

I had heard, read, and seen a lot about The House of Shock Horror Show Haunted House and since I am a fan of more intense haunts, I was expecting to like this one a lot…and I did.

I arrived at The House of Shock Horror Show Haunted House early in the evening and was taken backstage to meet one of the folks responsible, Ross Karpelman. Ross set me up with an all access VIP badge and I was ready to go. You can feel the power building backstage, as if the crew are gradually collecting energy and storing until they are give the cue to release it. Since there was time before the big opening stage show, I walked through the House of Shock on my own, snapping a few photos knowing it would be too busy to take them later.

Now, I have heard (and I am sure you have too) how intense and extreme The House of Shock show is. You hear about the satanic overtones and simulated rituals or the amazing pyrotechnic show. What you don’t hear enough about is how great their scenes are. I was very impressed by the quality of their scenes. One of the early rooms has a collapsed roof with a steeple falling through that looks fantastic – it looks realistic and really fits the overall theme/atmosphere of the show. Room after room, I walked through and saw scene after scene that were well decorated, well painted and perfectly fit the show. The more rooms I saw, the more I muttered to myself, “Why doesn’t anyone ever talk about how good the set design is in this place?” I doubt my pictures do the show justice since I didn’t set up lights and a tripod, but hopefully you can get a sense of the show from the photos I have.

Things were getting into gear and actors were beginning to take their places so I went out front to take my spot for the opening act. The crew at the show were incredibly helpful and pointed out the best place to be, told me what to expect, where to look/shoot, etc and I really appreciated their help. The opening act is an amazing spectacle that is unmatched by any Haunted House show I have ever seen. The stage, the flame effects, the fireworks and the acting all come together and create a one of a kind event. I took some video so when my video is working I will post it, but I am sure there are versions already on Youtube anyway.

Remember when I said that the crew backstage was waiting for their cue, well, the pyrotechnic grand finale was certainly their cue and they unleashed everything they had on the crowd. I found a good group and followed them in.

The actors at House of Shock do touch and can get in your face. The actors did a good job of delivering scares or creepy dialogue. The scenes themselves are not necessarily more extreme or bizarre than I had seen at some other places, but what gives them more intensity is the backstory plot that the Church of Satan is involved. The final rooms where the satanic influence is the strongest are some of my favorite rooms I have seen on the trip.

House of Shock is a unique Haunt not to be missed by anyone. The subject matter they deal with may not be to everyone’s taste, but I thought they did a great job of weaving it into the haunted house and creating an eerie and frightful experience. My thanks to Ross and all the cast and crew at House of Shock for being perfect hosts and welcoming me to your event. Have a great season!