Halls of Terror has a Last Scare
I told you there would be a sequel.
Like a twitch of a foot or a hand jutting from a fresh grave, the Halls of Terror has a last hurrah in it before closing the tomb for good.
Nate and Nick Gilberts walked through the Halls of Terror building on St. Feriole Island. Nick flipped a switch and a growling voice boomed over an intercom, “Welcome to the funhouse, come a little closer.”
Past the ticket booth and through the rickety entrance, it got dark quickly. The Halls lived up to their name with approximately 20 experiences on the winding path to a safe exit back into the outside world. The parade of monstrosities are the sort of things that routinely reach from our nightmares; things with teeth and an appetite for anything within their reach. It’s not a sideshow for the faint of constitution.
“Some people run through it in five minutes, but others take 10-12 minutes,” Nate Gilberts said. “That’s if you take your time and take it all in.” The Gilberts said many come in groups and form a line with their head down to race through every attraction.
Down the thin hallways that snake in odd patterns, cobwebs drift down to get in people’s eyes and brush against their ears and air puffs at ankle height to keep everyone in a state of terrified delight.
“We’ve been up to 27-28 different ones before,” Nick Gilberts said.
“We made them bigger this year,” Nate said. “Normally we’d only allow 3-4 people max, but the last couple of years they’ve been coming in groups of six or seven, and we don’t want to break them up.” The Gilberts explained that larger attractions mean more people can experience the jump scares and frightening displays. It makes the Halls more effective.
The first weekend, Oct. 13 and 14, were a bit slow for the Halls opening. The rain, wind and cold subdued the crowd, but the Halls have continued. On Oct. 28, The Gilberts will open the doors to Halls one last time.
“It’s one of those really hard decision to make,” Nate said. The combination of the flood damage and property loss put a belated stake in the attraction’s blood-hungry heart. For their Last Scare, the Gilberts encouraged anyone that was brave enough to come down.
“With it being the last night—basically for good—if there’s a line at 10:30 p.m. they’re getting in,” Nick stated.
“We’re not going to turn people away,” Nate said.
When the line is gone on Oct. 28, the haunted halls will close. The Halls of Terror has been a staple of Prairie du Chien’s holiday festivities and a noted attraction for the spooky season. Venture down to see what kind of horrors are just out of sight ready to pull you in.
The Halls of Terror will be open on Oct. 27 and 28 from 7-10:30 p.m. with an admission price of $10 per person.
Halls of Terror will host the kids costume contest one last time on Saturday October 28th. Registration starts at noon and judging will start at 12:30 p.m. Contest will take place near the PDC Fireman’s Shelter on St. Feriole Island.
Following the costume contest, there will be a lights on kid friendly haunted house at the Halls of Terror from 1-3 p.m. Admission is $3 or 2 for $5.
