Vote for Terror!

So we've got less than 25 hours before "it" all begins again. Screaming, shrieking, freaking neighbors. All the good stuff.

If you like what you see and run from, be sure and vote for us on

http://www.hauntedhouseratings.com/hauntedhousedetails.cfm?HauntId=315

Acting! Thank you!

One of the strange points of pride we've always had in producing a Maximum Terror show is the theme we put behind each event. More than just a random collection of monstrosities, there's always a thread of backstory that links the scenes together. This is usually showcased in a movie that we put together for the audience. Sometimes it's part of the set up (as in Undead Idol, where the tour groups were introduced to it by our Backstage Mangler), or at the very least it's "out there" for visitors to enjoy, as when it was running as part of the line entertainment in Scary Tales.

We're still working out where the story behind Zombie Nation runs, but if you'd like a peek at it now, it's up here on the interweb. Let us know what you think!

We've got bodies!

Last night was the haunt's official casting call, and wow — what a turn out! Dozens of folks, signing up for multiple nights of the event at a clip. We showed the full videos of both our Scary Tales and Undead Idol shows, and then groups of volunteers were taken on exclusive, behind the scenes tours of the haunt build. Things right now are at about 80% constructed, and about 70% operational (smoke machines, strobes, music, etc. still have to go in — the generators were only turned on yesterday). The volunteers (or frighteners, as we like to call 'em) got to take a run through the EXTREMELY claustrophobic BioSleeve 1031, see the military checkpoints, check out the med labs and shock posts — and even with a lot of the lights on, we still had quite a few jumpers.

As one guy said, "This is some dark genius!"

It's never too late to get in on the fun. There's a place for extroverts and introverts, you don't need acting experience, we'll get you where you need to be so you can have a 6 foot linebacker falling on the ground, crying like a baby. If you'd like to scare because you care, get in touch with Cathryn Oulighan at the Stamford Museum: 203.322.1646, ext. 6530, or via email volunteer@stamfordmuseum.org

Survive The Maze

One of Maximum Terror's showcase features is what we "lovingly" call the OCD maze. That can stand for any number of things, this year we may decide it means the Outdoor Confounder and Dementia. It always absorbs an inordinate amount of time, proportional to the rest of the haunt build, it occupies every other sentence coming from our creative director, it requires rebuilding after every night...

But it's all worth it, for the disorientation and chills it delivers to the unlucky mortals who arrive at its entrance. Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Seriously, though, for those among you who have invested enough time in visiting our Web site that you'd also follow our little blogging adventure, I've got a special treat. An easy way through the labyrinth, and a cruel way to leave your friends behind. It's an online maze game that gets you focused on following a pathway. When your brain is in tune with the structure of a maze, like this game helps you get, it's scientifically proven that navigating a similar real world space is 30 to 40 percent easier. Try the online maze out for yourself!

Graveside Stand Off

It's just a week to go! Will you stand up to the zombie hordes, or fall on your knees and beg for mercy? (Until they eat your tongue, at least.

Bone up on your zombie-facing skills with this fun and gruesome game, The Last Stand.

Major construction commences

If you are a museum member, or have a chance to visit before the haunt begins on Oct. 5, you may be amazed at what's gone up in an amazingly short amount of time on the meadow out front. Three massive tents including a dozen or more set pieces, an outdoor graveyard, the infamous OCD maze that confounds and terrorizes all who wander in. It's all come to (un)life in less than three weeks, once more a testament to the maniacal drive of my brother Pete and his deranged vision to keep Connecticut screaming. (No limits on the scream thing, though, feel free to come from across state borders.)

It's a round the clock enterprise between Pete, my other brother Keith, our father, the rest of the family, friends and volunteers. Those hollow eyes you'll see are not all just makeup!

Can you outlast the rotters?

Naturally, it's part of our self centered human nature to presume that if there ever WAS a real zombie infestation, "I'd be the one to make it through!" After all, we all in our own deluded way consider ourselves smart, savvy, with still enough of the species' survival instinct bubbling around in our DNA. And if that guy in Shaun of the Dead can make it...

Well, sorry to take some of the spark out of your shamble, but as this Zombie Simulator shows, all us living meat puppets would be overrun in no time flat. Oh well, I for one welcome our new flesh eating overlords...