STAY SCARED: Edge of Darkness a frightful delight any time of year
Oct. 25—Horror doesn't end after Halloween and the creators of Berea's Edge of Darkness Haunted House will be the first to tell you that.
According Angela Halstead, co-owner of Edge of Darkness, the 2022 Halloween season (which began on Sept. 24) has been the busiest ever for the haunted house, but the team behind Edge of Darkness has more scares up their sleeves even after Halloween next Monday.
"We don't really stop. We work on it all year round," Halstead said. "All the rooms change constantly. We want our fanbase to know that when they come back; they're getting their money's worth. They're not just getting the same old show every time."
The Halloween edition of the haunted house will continue till Nov. 7. Then, Edge of Darkness will take a short break before getting ready for the Krampus-themed Christmas haunted house that kicks off in December. From there, the cycle begins anew with the team getting to work on the Valentine's Day and Easter haunted houses they hold in the earlier months of the year.
On Nov. 4 and Nov. 5 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., Edge of Darkness will hold blackout nights, in which visitors navigate the haunted house with only the light of a glow stick to guide them. The Easter Egg hunt earlier in the year was similar as attendees traveled through a space full of monsters to find glow in the dark Easter Eggs full of goodies.
According to Halstead, Edge of Darkness was rebuilt this year. Past visitors can expect new rooms and new surprises to go with all the screams.
"Over half of the house is new. Back in the summer, it was all gutted. New walls were put in, new rooms, new decorations, new props. The maze is new this year and there are newer additions to the maze. We have two containers that have been added to the maze this year," Halstead said.
A merchandise shop was also added to the haunted house this year.
For many annual events held this year, 2022 has been a return to form following two years of a global pandemic. Looking back on that time, Halstead said the demand to be scared did not go away for COVID-19.
"We were really shocked, because during the pandemic that was some of the busiest that we have ever been. We followed all the guidelines by the governor and the CDC and no one seemed to mind following those rules and regulations. Our crowds were just as big, if not bigger," she said.
That demand has stayed.
According to Halstead, Edge of Darkness has averaged more than 200 visitors a night since it opened in the waning days of September. There are usually anywhere from 30-40 volunteers haunting Edge of Darkness per night. Many of them are juniors or seniors in high school who get community service hours for helping out. A party will be held in their honor at the end of the season.
This past weekend is what is known as "Superbowl Weekend of Haunted Houses" for those in the haunted house industry. It is the busiest weekend of the year.
Halstead said the people in the haunting industry often like to creep through other haunted houses in order to study how other creators plan their attractions. Edge of Darkness recently had a visitor of that kind.
"When we go to other haunts, we go through them really slow, because we want to see the detail and the work that's went into it," Halstead said. "Someone else went through ours and did that. She came out and said she couldn't believe the detail in every room. We want it to be that good."
While Edge of Darkness is normally open on Fridays and Saturdays from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., the attraction will be open on this Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for Halloween. Tickets are $15.
