Halloween chills and thrills have been taken to a new level this year at the Altamont Scaregrounds, home of Ultimate Terrors, a popular multi-attraction haunted event.
The fright fest premiered last year and has some new talent, making the event `the scariest place in Upstate New York,` said owner Mike Maybee.
`It’s nothing like last year. All three haunts are completely painted, we have 10 times as many props, moveable walls and a professional rigger that makes people fly,` said Ultimate Terrors manager Peggy Were, who brought 12 years of haunted house experience to the attraction this year.
Maybee, a project manager for the state, is an amusement park afficionado who decided the Capital District was in need of bigger and better Halloween entertainment.
Before the grand opening last October, Maybee spent a good deal of time searching for the perfect location, and he said he struggled a bit to make the unique attractions a reality.
For this year, he decided to bring Were into the picture, and together, they spent an entire year planning the enhanced attraction, which includes three themed haunted houses: 3-D Chaos, a twisted clown maze where visitors use 3-D glasses; Skull Manor, a traditional 18-room `haunted mansion;` and Code Blue, a haunted chemical factory.
To add a little humor and realism, Were held auditions for actors and developed a script for them to perform in each of the houses.
In addition to the houses, Ultimate Terrors includes Professor Morgan’s Dark Museum, which is filled with strange artifacts, a spray-on tattoo parlor, and four live `freakish` stage shows.
Jason Ford, an actor in Albany, attended Ultimate Terror’s opening night Wednesday, Oct. 3.
Ford, who participated in `Colleen the Side Show Queen’s Creepy World Show,` said the stage entertainment is a nice addition to the haunted houses at Ultimate Terrors.
`It’s a great idea to have the people performing while you’re waiting in line so that you’re not just waiting,` he said.
Jason Jaden, a local artist, has his own exhibit at Ultimate Terrors featuring his unique collection of `Monster Art.` Jaden built the facade of his favorite Ultimate Terrors attraction, Skull Manor.
He said has been a huge fan of Halloween since he was young. This is his first year with Ultimate Terrors.
`I love Halloween; it’s my biggest passion so I get really excited and really into it,` Jaden said. `I’m totally taken aback by this event, and I think the houses themselves are horrifying.`
Ultimate Terrors is Were’s 27th project. She started building haunted houses for charity after her husband’s death 11 years ago, working with organizations such as DARE and People to People. She said Ultimate Terrors is her first for-profit project, although part of the proceeds will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House, a decision made by Maybee, who’s has been involved with the organization since his daughter’s heart surgery.
Maybee still continues his work as a project manger while conducting the Ultimate Terrors business on the side. Although it is hard work, he said it is more of a hobby for him than anything else.
`This year we think it’s the scariest attraction around,` he said. `We are the best build-and-tear-down haunt in the U.S. I’ve seen a lot of them.`
Ultimate Terrors will run through Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights throughout October. Gates open at 6:30 p.m., and tickets can be purchased at the ticket booth. Tickets for those 11 and older cost $21; $16, for ages 6 to 10; and free for 5 and younger.
For information, visit www.ultimateterrors.com.“