Your friends at Louisville Halloween

Lady Gaga
Description: Lady Gaga is the controversial pop star who inspires comments every time she changes her outfits.
Where/Pricing: Lady Gaga accessories including gloves, masks and wigs range in price from $5.99 to $19.99 at Party City. The complete outfits at Party City range in price from $44.99 to $59.99. Accessories like gloves, wigs and masks range in price from $8.99 to $22.49 at Halloween Express. The complete outfits range in price from $54.99 to $59.97, also at Halloween Express.

Angry Birds
Description: Don’t confuse Angry Birds with Hitchcock’s The Birds. Angry Birds is a video game released by Apple in 2009. Since then it has become an addictive, guilty pleasure of many. Characters in the video game include red and yellow birds and a King Pig.
Where/Pricing: Adult red, yellow Angry Birds and King Pig costumes are available at Party City for $49.99. The children’s Angry Birds and King Pig costumes are sold out at Party City. Halloween Express has Angry Birds masks in red, yellow and King Pig, available for adults, teens and tweens for $37.99. Adult red Angry Birds and adult King Pig costumes are available for $64.99 at Halloween Express. Infant red Angry Birds and infant King Pig costumes are available for $29.99 at Halloween Express.

Amy Winehouse
Description: The soulful singer’s passing has brought her music and her life attention. Her distinct look is easy to duplicate with a wig and some eyeliner.
Where/Pricing: The Rehab Adult Wig is available for $16.99 at Halloween Express. The wig is poofed on top with long curls hanging down. Note that the wig is not sold as an Amy Winehouse wig, but rather the Rehab Wig.

Charlie Sheen
Description: Actor Charlie Sheen’s recent drug problems, conflicts with CBS over the hit show Two and a Half Men, and controversial declarations about having “tiger blood” and “winning” have made him a popular choice this Halloween.
Where/Pricing: A Charlie Sheen mask and shirt combination is available at Party City for $24.99, and the mask alone is $16.99. A Charlie Sheen-esque white hat is also available (complete with a band that says “winning”) for $16.99, also at Party City.

Jersey Shore
Description: The Jersey Shore is a popular MTV American television reality series, whose participants—The Situation, Snookie, Paulie and JWoww have become popular because of their distinct qualities.
Where/Pricing: From wigs, to fake muscle tees, to headphones and complete outfits, these costumes are available at Walmart, Target, Party City and Halloween Express. Prices range from $9.99 to $49.99.

Smurfs
Description: The Saturday morning cartoon series, with the little blue creatures, has made a come back with a Smurf movie.
Where/Pricing: Target is offering adult costumes and masks from $22.99 to $59.99. Kid’s Papa Smurf and Smurfette costumes are available at Target for $29.99. The Smurf costumes are popular this year, infant and toddler costumes are sold out at Target. All Smurf costumes are sold out at Walmart. Halloween Express has infant, toddler, kid and adult Smurfette and Papa Smurf costumes ranging in price from $26.99 to $49.99

Rainbow Brite
Description: Rainbow Brite, another animated series from the ’80s, has inspired Halloween costumes this year.
Where/Pricing: The woman’s adult costume is available for $69.99, and the wig is available for $29.99 at Target. The women’s costume is also available at Halloween Express for $69.99.

Written by Natalia Motola.

Also this weekend, you can go to Sunny Acres Farm for Pumpkinfest. Enjoy all of the different Halloween season activities that Sunny Acres has to offer. This is another family-friendly event. If you’re looking for something a little more scary, Sunny Acres Farm also has a haunted corn maze at night called Cobb’s Haunt. It’s a scary corn maze that you don’t want to miss!

In addition, you can also catch Horrorfest at the Georgetown Drive-In. In our opinion, there is no better way to watch a good horror flick than at the drive-in. It’s the perfect environment to enjoy all of your horror movie favorites. It adds to the creepiness of the movies and certainly makes for more fun! It’s also easier to scare your significant other or your friends!

Of course, ALL of the local haunts are now open and in full force. Screams are being heard all over Louisville from all of the great haunts in town. You can always get a little different experience by turning your haunted house visit into an adventure by checking out the Danger Run.

And finally, the World’s Largest Halloween Party at the Louisville Zoo is also open. This is another great annual event for the entire family. Whether your looking for family fun, a date night, fun with your friends, Louisville has got it all this weekend!

If you haven’t got your pumpkins yet, now is the time! A great weekend to carve your jack-o’-lanterns!

Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be short, soft, and flexible.
Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult.
Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you.
Examine all treats for choking hazards and tampering before eating them. Limit the amount of treats you eat.
Hold a flashlight while trick-or-treating to help you see and others see you.
Always test make-up in a small area first. Remove it before bed to prevent skin and eye irritation.
Look both ways before crossing the street. Use established crosswalks wherever possible.
Lower your risk for serious eye injury by not wearing decorative contact lenses.
Only walk on sidewalks or on the far edge of the road facing traffic to stay safe.
Wear well-fitted masks, costumes, and shoes to avoid blocked vision, trips, and falls.
Eat only factory-wrapped treats. Avoid eating homemade treats unless you know the cook well.
Enter homes only if you’re with a trusted adult. Otherwise, stay outside.
Never walk near lit candles or luminaries. Be sure to wear flame-resistant costumes.

EXPECTING TRICK-OR-TREATERS OR PARTY GUESTS?

Follow these tips to help make the festivities fun and safe for everyone!

The Danger Run is an attraction that has called Louisville home for over 17 years and is one of the oldest Halloween attractions in town (and one of the older ones in the country). It is also one of the most widely known. People have driven as far as Texas just to go on the Danger Run. In fact, one year a group of college students at Gonzaga drove across the country to do the Danger Run. In case you didn’t know, Gonzaga is a university in the state of Washington!

Why are all these people going all of this way just to do a Halloween attraction? Well, if you’re from Louisville then you don’t realize that you can’t find another event even similar to Danger Run in any other city or town ANYWHERE. It is one of a kind! So when they say the one and only, they mean the one and ONLY! It is an all-inclusive haunted attraction that is designed to give you an entire night of haunted entertainment AND give you the absolute biggest bang for your buck.

Think about it! The Danger Run gives you admission to the Danger Run adventure game (which is INCREDIBLY fun by itself!); it gives you admission to TWO $20 haunted houses (TOTAL $40 VALUE); you get a free cheeseburger from DQ Grill & Chill; you get free vampire fangs; AND if you have 4 or more people in your car you also get $10 in gas from Speedway! You get ALL of that for only $16.99 per person! That’s a value that is unequal to ANYTHING we have EVER seen!

So what is it and why is it so special? The Danger Run is a haunted scavenger hunt-style game that you play in your car with your friends. You go to one of the three area starting locations (Lowe’s on Dixie Hwy, Lowe’s on Hurstbourne Pkwy, or Lowe’s on Veterans Pkwy) to start the Danger Run. You will be floored by their attention to detail. You are first told to tune your radio to an AM channel which they have set-up to help explain the Danger Run to you. This is something you would expect to get at Disney World or Universal Studios, not at a haunted attraction in Louisville, Kentucky!

As the radio broadcast goes over everything about the Danger Run, you are approached by their seasoned employees that know this event like the back of their hand. In fact, we have been told that most of the people working at the Danger Run have been involved for anywhere from 5+ years to 16 years. That is incredible dedication to stay with an event for this amount of time! They take care of EVERY aspect for you and make sure you thoroughly understand the event. They welcome questions and they cover every angle of the event. And from personal experience, they will even offer you a hint or two to get started!

At that point, you get your book of clues and then you’re off! The object is to solve the clues and make as few mistakes (wrong turns) as possible. They are able to tell how close you are to the exact mileage of the course based on the mileage you put on your car. If you’re under or over, they will know it! By solving the clues correctly, you will find your way to TWO of Louisville’s BEST haunted houses. You don’t pay any extra once you get there! Your Danger Run ticket INCLUDES the haunted destinations that you find! PLUS, if you solve all the clues without making a ton of mistakes you could make it in the TOP 50!

The TOP 50 are the groups that absolutely knocked their Danger Run adventure out of the park. These are the people that barely made any mistakes at all and accumulated almost the exact distance of the course on their car. The TOP 50 are invited back for the Danger Run Finals Party where they will compete for the title of Danger Run Champion. Very cool!

It is crazy to what extreme these guys go through to make the event what it is. They have integrated technology into the event, they base all of their changes to the event on customer feedback, it is a well-oiled machine and a local Louisville attraction that you do not want to miss this Halloween season.

If you are looking for something different, exciting, and probably the best deal in town, Danger Run is what you want to do! Best of all they have 12 different courses which means you can go on it 12 different times and get a different experience! The courses all have the same haunts, but the change the haunts up every year to give you a whole new experience every year! Check out this one of a kind haunt! More information for this event can be found at dangerrun.com.

The Haunted Code isn’t a haunted house or event like most Halloween happenings in Louisville. The Haunted Code is a game that you play simply by visiting some of your favorite haunted attractions in the Louisville area. How do you play? Simple! You go to one of the three participating attractions and you will receive a game piece with your admission into the haunt.

Once you have your game piece, you use a coin to scratch it off to reveal your “code”. It’s very much like a scratch off lottery ticket! Once you have your “code”, you then go to the Haunted Code website and register your code to see if you’ve won cash or prizes. It’s that easy! The more times you visit the participating attractions, the more chances you have to win!

What can you win? Prizes include an XBox 360, a Nintendo Wii, a Netbook Computer, Haunted Code Swag, Haunted Attraction tickets for 2012, Restaurant Gift Certificates, and oh did we mention $10,000! That’s right! ONE lucky person will be the winner of $10,000 in cold, hard cash! Not to shabby!

More than 100 prizes will be given out by the Haunted Code. To start playing for your chance to win HUGE PRIZES head to Industrial Terrorplex, Haunted Hotel, or Wolf Creek Haunted Forest haunted attractions to get the bejesus scared out of you and get your game pieces. Good luck and have fun!

Personally, I tend to lean towards the scary side of things. Put me in something rotting or something bloody and I’m good. Maybe it’s a guy thing? On the other hand, women tend to lean towards something sexy. Even if the costume is a sexy costume, it is always more fun to give it a scary twist. Many ladies want to be a Playboy bunny or some other sexy little number. Why not change it up and be a Playboy bunny zombie? It then becomes a multifaceted idea and you can get even more creative with it. For instance, many Playboy models have implants. As a Playboy zombie, the implants could be rotting off of your chest. Is it twisted? Sure, but it adds more to your costume!

However, I have been known to do the occasional funny costume as well. The best thing about humorous costumes is that in most cases you can create them in the comfort of your own home. If you are low on funds, this is the way to go! You don’t need any fancy make-up, just stuff you have laying around the house. Or you can always head to a local consignment shop and get a costume on the cheap. For example, a friend of mine found a purple jogging suit (which I am convinced was women’s clothing) which fit him quite snuggly. He used it to turn himself into “The Jesus” from the Big Lebowski. It was completely ridiculous, but extremely funny. Even better, one of my other friends came as Walter! It was a perfect combo. Had I known I certainly would have been The Dude!

Of course, kids’ costumes are always fun to conjure up as well.¬ The best thing about their costumes is that you can make them look as ridiculous as you want and there is little they can do about it. It’s like Ralphie’s pink bunny outfit in A Christmas Story. That’s all part of the fun of dressing up your kids for Halloween though! That is until they get old enough to pick out their own costumes.

So, there really is no limit to costume ideas. My only suggestion is try to put a twist on a popular idea. It gives your costume a fresh look and it makes it a lot more fun to put together. That is of course what it’s all about! Have fun coming up with your costume this year!!! If you’re looking for stores to shop around at, make sure to visit our costumes page! If you need help brainstorming costume ideas, feel free to post a message on our Facebook page (facebook.com/louisvillehalloween) or send a tweet to @lvillehalloween!

GREAT TIPS FOR PICKING OUT THE PERFECT PUMPKIN

We thought we’d give you a little insight on how you can pick out the best pumpkin in the patch (or the store).

If you follow these simple rules, you too can have a perfect pumpkin this Halloween season! Happy Picking!

LAST WEEKEND’S OPENINGS – WOLF CREEK HAUNTED FOREST

One of the haunts that opened last weekend was Wolf Creek Haunted Forest in Shepherdsville, KY. Wolf Creek returned last weekend with a killer start to the season. This year, Wolf Creek actually featured 2 separate haunts in one location for one price! The new attraction at Wolf Creek is called Project Alpha. Project Alpha is centered around a zombie theme/infection theme. So far we’ve heard great things. They are open again this weekend and every weekend through October! You will even get your chance to win $10,000 playing the Haunted Code!

OPENING THIS WEEKEND – DANGER RUN THE MOST FUN YOU’VE EVER HAD IN YOUR CAR!

This weekend, one of the many attractions to open includes the Danger Run. For those of you that don’t know, the Danger Run is a scavenger hunt style game you play in your car where you will solve clues to find haunted houses which are included with your admission. The Danger Run is a unique, fun attraction that is the only attraction of its kind any where in the world right here in Louisville! Even if puzzles are your thing, the Danger Run gets you admission into TWO $20 haunts ($40 total value) with your $16.99 admission. That alone is more than double the cost of your ticket! It’s like a Groupon deal for haunts, but only better because you get the adventure game with it! You also get free food and free gas! It is definitely worth checking out! Get your tickets now on LouisvilleHalloween.com!

THE ASYLUM HAUNTED SCREAM PARK

Also opening this weekend is the ENORMOUS Asylum Haunted Scream Park at Paintball Asylum. Paintball Asylum has featured an extremely popular haunt called Darkness Falls. This year they have expanded to 3 more attractions all at that single location! It features two primary haunted trails: Darkness Falls and Zombie City. The other attractions include Zombie Hunting, a paintball arcade with real live…err…dead zombies and the Carnivale of Lost Souls. It is an enormous attraction packed full of scares and fun.

HAUNTED NETWORK HAUNTS

In addition, the Haunted Network will be opening their haunts this weekend as well! Many regard the Haunted Network to have some of the best haunts in the area. Their haunts include the Industrial Terrorplex in Jeffersonville and Haunted Hotel in downtown Louisville. Industrial Terrorplex has undergone a MASSIVE overhaul and features 2 BRAND NEW attractions! The two new haunts at the Terrorplex are CarnEVIL 3D and Infected. From what we’ve seen, both should be incredible haunts. And then of course let’s not forget the legendary Industrial Nightmare and Dementions. Of course last be FAR from least is the Haunted Hotel. Haunted Hotel has been deemed one of the best haunts in the country and is one of the longest standing haunts in Louisville. It’s a scary attraction you don’t want to miss! You could even win $10,000 playing the Haunted Code!

NIGHTMARE FOREST HAUNTED TRAIL

Then, Nightmare Forest is also opening this weekend! Nightmare Forest has been in the Ville for MANY MANY years and is widely considered to be one of the best haunted trails in the area. It too features multiple attractions all in one location featuring a secondary haunt called the Trail of Terror and NEW for 2011 is the Watch-N-DIE…I mean DrIvE-in. We’ve been told that the event is going to be better than it has ever been so we will have quite a show in store for us. If you like outdoor attractions, you won’t want to miss it!

THE DEVIL’S ATTIC HAUNTED HOUSE

Another BIG opening this weekend is the Devil’s Attic. The Devil’s Attic was new in 2010 and for 2011 they have moved to an ENORMOUS, scary new building near downtown Louisville. This is a haunt that we have had the privilege to visit and interview. Upon our visit, we got to walk through the attraction and get a firsthand look at what you will get to see at the Devil’s Attic and let us tell you…it is an INCREDIBLE haunt. Great attention to detail, amazing scenery, and a very scary ambiance. This is an attraction you’ll want to hit this season. You can even sign-up to win a hearse! Devil’s Attic’s preview will be posted soon!

FEAR FAIR HAUNTED HOUSE

Another haunt that we were privileged enough to visit recently is Fear Fair. Fear Fair is a haunt that is about an hour north of Louisville, but it is well worth the drive! Fear Fair is easily one of the regions top haunts. With film quality sets and in your face actors, this was a jaw-dropping haunt. While we were there for an interview and preview for you, we will be jumping in our car again later this season to go check it out again while it is running. Amazing enough, this is even a charity haunt! All the proceeds goes the the Jaycees! Who’d a thought such an incredible haunt would be a charity event. If you have time, go see this one!

OTHER GREAT LOCAL HAUNTS – PSYCHOMANIA

Lastly, some of the other great local attractions opening this weekend include Psychomania Haunted House in Clarksville! Psychomania is the ONLY haunted house that is located in an old, abandoned theater. It is an ENORMOUS attraction that has an incredible attention to detail, tons of actors, and scares around every corner. You can even get your tickets to this attraction right here on LouisvilleHalloween.com! You can also get tickets for Terror at the Fun Farm in Lanesville AND NEW THIS YEAR Grim Tales presented by the Haunted Yard.

GRIM TALES HAUNTED HOUSE

Grim Tales is a brand new attraction in Middletown that is being presented by the Haunted Yard. The Haunted Yard has been a Halloween staple in the Louisville area for over 20 years! It was a FREE yard haunt in Louisville and it was sooo much more than just a yard haunt. It was a haunted experience! If the Haunted Yard gives us any inclination what to expect at this haunt then it will be one incredible attraction.

THE SCAREFEST CONVENTION IN LEXINGTON

Oh…and if you’re not yet in the haunting mood, then you can take a drive down to Lexington for the regions largest paranormal convention called Scarefest. At Scarefest you can enjoy a ton of REAL haunted places, ghosts, etc. You can also see some of your favorite horror movie icons including Kane Hodder, Lea Thompson, Lin Shayne, Elvira, Lance Henricksen, Michael Beihn, Bill Moseley, and so much more! If you’re not in the haunting mood, but want to get in the haunting mood then this is the show for you!

Like we said a HUGE weekend this weekend and MANY MORE TO COME!!!

At the beginning of the season, you can check out one of the largest paranormal conventions in the country at the Scarefest Convention on September 23rd-25th. While it is in Lexington which is about an hour from Louisville, this is a convention worth heading to Wildcat country for. You will be able to meet a whole slew of horror movie stars, paranormal celebrities, browse the booths, and so much more. It is an incredible convention to start the season with.

The very same weekend, you can start cracking clues to find haunted houses on the Danger Run. The Danger Run is a haunted attraction unlike any other in the country and it is ONLY right here in Louisville. If you are looking a unique way to experience the Halloween season, see parts of the Ville you’ve NEVER seen before, visit TWO premium haunted attractions, have an entire night of Halloween entertainment all for one low price then this attraction is for you. It is the biggest bang for your buck with all Louisville Halloween attractions and it is an event that is different than anything you’ve ever done.

Also that weekend, most of the local haunted attractions will be opening. One multi-attraction, haunted theme park is the Asylum Haunted Scream Park located at Paintball Asylum. Asylum Haunted Scream Park has 4 attractions all located at one location. At the Asylum, you can experience one of the area’s SCARIEST attractions Darkness Falls. Darkness Falls has become widely known as one of the best attractions in the area. In addition the Asylum Scream Park has 3 BRAND NEW ATTRACTIONS! One of which is a zombie themed haunted house called Zombie City! Zombie City is a haunted attraction that is a quarantined city that was overtaken by zombies. Now you will go face to face with a zombie apocalypse! Last, but certainly not least, they also have live entertainment and games at the Carnivale of Lost Souls AND a paintball shooting gallery where you can shot REAL LIVE…err…DEAD zombies call Zombie Hunting! It is quite an attraction.

Other featured haunts in the Louisville area include Nightmare Forest, The Devil’s Attic, Fear Fair, Wolf Creek Haunted Forest, Industrial Terrorplex, Psychomania, Terror At The Fun Farm, and Haunted Yard Presents Grim Tales. All of these haunts are ranked as some of the best haunts around and you will NOT want to miss any of them! In fact, you will even be able to purchase some of your tickets right on the Louisville Halloween website! What a convenient way to get all of your haunt tickets all in one place!

If you’re looking for something NEW to do this Halloween season, then you should DEFINITELY check out Evil Dead the Musical at the Alley Theatre. Evil Dead the Musical is an off-broadway musical of the cult classic the Evil Dead. If you’ve ever wanted to experience one of your all-time favorite horror movies on stage then this is your chance! It is laugh-out loud funny and BEST of all you can even get seats in the SPLATTER ZONE! The Splatter Zone is a particular seating area that you will get drenched in blood. Don’t worry, you get a poncho and protective eye wear. However, it is one of the most unique theatre experiences you’ll ever have and you will walk out with blood and a grin on your face.

With so much to do in Louisville and SOO much more to come you won’t want to miss the Halloween season in Louisville in 2011.