Nightmare New York Haunted House

It sucked. I went on 10/24 & will never go back. I should have read the "filtered" reviews.

The Dexter "actor" started insulting my woman & didn't let up, so I finally told him to stop, but he didn't. The group left the room & I told him that he went over the line, instead of apologizing he continued to insult her & threaten me until he actually shoved me! This guy actually wanted to fight me so I told them to call security.

The security guys kept saying that it was interactive but constantly insulting a participant is not part of a haunted house and neither is shoving a participant. The employee in the trash bag witnessed the whole thing & didn't try to calm down his co-worker.

I was going to call the police & have him arrested but was talked out of it. He should be fired.

I went last night (Tuesday, 10/22) around 8:30pm with my boyfriend. We bought our tickets at the door ($35 - a totally reasonable price, I'm not sure why people complain about it) and waited in line for about 30 minutes. Not too bad. One of the line monitors did a couple magic tricks for us, which were pretty impressive. The crowd was a pretty energetic and fun mix of mid-20's/early 30's. No douchebags or idiots causing a scene like I've seen at other houses in my time, which was nice.

Once we got into the house, I had a great time, as did my boyfriend and the other 4 people who were with us (2 of the girls opted for the much-talked-about double X's, though pretty much everyone in the group was messed with at some point). If you're going into this house expecting cheap jump scares and no cohesive theme, this isn't the one for you and I can understand why some people are disappointed by that aspect. But if you're the kind of person who gets a kick out of suspense, anticipation, and a killer atmosphere (no pun intended), this is going to be up your alley.

The whole thing lasts about 30 minutes if you really take your time and don't just run through the space. There's a rule specifically advising against this in the lobby. Enjoy the scenery and the performances from the dedicated actors and creative team. It's clear that everyone involved put a LOT of time and thought into this year's haunt and it pays off big time - for me, at least. I left saying "That was AWESOME!" Was I scared out of my skin? Not necessarily the entire time, though there certainly were moments. But I never once was able to be calm or collected. The effect of the experience is to make you unsettled, disoriented, and creeped out, not HOLYJESUSOHMYGODTHISISINSANE terrified. If you're looking for that, try Blackout. If you're more into being in your own horror movie, definitely check out Nightmare: Killers 2. I loved it.

$35....

...But worth $20-$25


30 minutes...

...But feels like 15 minutes


Nice Props...

...But subpar acting


Memorable experience...

...But 2008 & 2009 was better


Good for NYC...

...But LI haunted houses are the best

Some complaints in previous yelp reviews are quite valid:
1) Wish the maze was longer. Where's part 2??
2) Wish it was EVEN more interactive
3) Dexter part sucked
4) Too few actors!!

MANY things improved from last year!
1) there ACTUALLY were parts that were TRULY SCARY
2) there ACTUALLY were parts that were TRULY F*ks your mind
3) the actors REALLY improved!

If you haven't gone, and not only have an hour to waste but also some money, i'd absolutely say yes! go! enjoy yourself! however, you still won't need to wear any diapers this year. its scary, but not THAT crazy.

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DO NOT READ ONWARDS: CONTAINS SPOILERS

are you sure you wanna keep reading? It has some serious spoilers that will 100% ruin it for you

okay! I'll keep on typing! if you keep on reading, that onus is on you!

I will still conjure up that dreamy-sh*t-your-pants-f*kin-scary-as-Jesus 2008 experience I had with Nightmare NYC and will always compare future Nightmare NYCs with that glorious one. 2008.... was amazingly nasty/scary/gross/disturbing. Please bring it back to those levels!!! I BEG OF YOU!

There were too few actors to accomplish a near-shat-my-pants experience. There needs to be more grabs, more near run ins, more chases, more freaky-deaky nasty-as-sh*t weirdos who get up in your face and nearly salivate down your throat experiences. Give me more of that, and you're sure to have me screaming for more!

the red "X" on the face was awesome. it really pumps up the guests to have an amazingly good time. However, the level of interaction just wasnt what i was hoping for! We have the freaking X! f*k with our heads and clearly our bodies! The 'worst' treatment i got was being gently slammed against a wall. how about some nasty creepy sh*t like petting my hair or neck?

one member of the group gets separated. awesome. but would it be possible to slowly separate more? and then 'find' each other? or find your friend has been axed???

the fog room.... its mentally creepy, but nothing happened in it.... we were just lost!

Dexter room... what a disappointment! We ALL KNEW a garbage bag would be a human..... instead, why not strap in a 'victim'? or strap one of us in?

overall, 100% better than last year, but still needs MAJOR improvement.

thanks for the good time, Nightmare! We'll be expecting WAY more next year!!

This year was my first time going and I had a blast. The ticket prices are steep, but luckily we were able to find a deal that cut off 10 bucks or so.

They keep the groups down to 6 people, which is perfect. Once inside, the experience lasted like a half hour, which was great because some haunted houses seem like they're over in seconds and you don't get your money's worth (that's how I felt about Blood Manor). The whole killers concept was awesome and some of the actors were scarily spot-on with their looks and acting (the guy who played Charles Manson in particular). It was a really fun experience, I enjoyed seeing all the different rooms and scenes that were set up. The only negative I noticed was that the whole place is very loud (you can hear the actors in the other rooms) so it was impossible at times to hear the actors. But some of the rooms were much more private and intimate, which was cool.

I'm a Halloween nut and I've done numerous haunted houses (including Blackout), so I have a high threshold for scariness. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how creeped out I was by this place. I've been bored with haunted houses lately as they always seem so predictable, but this one kept me on my toes. And you gotta love a haunted house that allows the actors to touch the patrons! How awesome. I got choked within the first 5 seconds of us being there. And there are so many twists and turns; several times we weren't even sure if we were going the right way. Very creepy indeed. They also spit you out into the bar at the end because you will definitely need a shot afterwards.

Overall, I left smiling and feel exhilarated.

I'm an easily terrified person who enjoys casually reading up on serial killers every now and then, so when my friends invited me here, I was game.

I don't really care about ghosts and goblins but serial killers - like John Wayne Gacy, Jr. and Ted Bundy - scare me right to the core.

Without giving too much away, the whole experience only lasts 30 minutes or so, but every second is INTENSE. You'll be guided through rooms with various killers, and the acting is actually pretty good. There are predictable elements (people popping out), but in the beginning there was some physicality that I wasn't expecting. Nothing painful, but they do touch you/whisper in your ear/push you around a bit.

It's very dark and sometimes you'll have to bend down and crawl to get to the next room. They utilize the space pretty well. There are some scenes that are a little more funny than scary, and then there are some rooms that FREAK YOU THE F@#$ OUT.

My gut reaction was to push my friends towards the serial killers, so I'm not sure what that says about my character.

All in all, it was a fun time, and there was a lot to talk about afterwards!

Not sure what these fugazi reviewers got to experience...we ordered VIP tickets and got there on a Saturday night. We opted to draw the red X on our foreheads, which apparently labels you as liable to get touched. I was excited after last year's lackluster Blood Manor endeavor, where I had spent over $150 on two tickets.

I won't throw out any spoilers, but all in all, the entire event lasted just a shade under 15 minutes. I didn't get "touched" once, and the production value was pretty weak. I think I will try the haunted prison in Philadelphia next year or maybe the one where you go in by yourself and they take it to another level...this really felt like a grade school carnival.

It would be easy to say that you get what you pay for, but I feel like this was a $30 miss.

This was my first time in this haunted house it was really scary like the actors were in your space the whole time and ever where you turn a actor pop out this was hardcore like it had a lot of really good pop out stuff if you a big fan of horror go if you just look for something fun this not for you

Watching my tall brawny accomplice quake in his boots when a wart-laced contorted old woman came hurtling towards him seemingly out of nowhere, was really the best part of this experience for me.

I approached the event with caution as I am the true definition of a scaredy cat, hiding behind my fingers at the slightest indication of blood and gore. So when I heard that the Killers Experience was based on real life murder cases, I spent the best part of a few days considering whether or not I should go. But, as this is my first experience of Halloween in it's birth country, I steeled myself and got on with it. (but remembered to bring my big burly accomplice for protection of course!)

It's probably completely irrational for me therefore to be disappointed that not once did I quake in my boots! Yes, as the previous reviews have mentioned, the sets were constructed to an extremely high standard, the actors looked fantastic, and there were plenty of jumpy moments, but overall, my fear factor averaged at an unexpected 2/10.

My major problem was the sound proofing, which was non-existent. This meant that not only could you hear what was going on in the next room, but you couldn't hear half of what was being said in your own section.

My other disappointment was the length, and slightly odd manor in which the experience finished. There was no crescendo or grand finale - we were hurtled into what we thought was another room, which turned out to be the exit.

All in all, if the event cost $10, I would be more than happy to rate it higher, as that would seem to be a reasonable price for a 15 minute experience. However, with VIP tickets costing over $50, this haunted house didn't quite kill it (ahem) for me.

A truly awesome haunted house experience. From the second we walked in the door until we walked out the exit, I was on edge - in the best way possible.

The serial killer gallery in the lobby as you walk in sets a creepy tone for the experience as you're surrounded by actual memorabilia from real killers. As for the house itself, all of the room concepts, set decoration and acting was phenomenal. The actors are amazingly in character and you feel actually like you're a part of their murderous worlds. eek!

You definitely tell the meticulous planning and careful execution that went into planning this haunted house. I also attended the Nightmares Haunted House two years ago and although it's hard to compare the two, I don't remember being quite as scared then as I was this time around.

Warning - don't get an "X" painted on your head unless you're brave.