Fright Nights WV’s Friday the 13th interactive experience draws horror fans to summer slasher event
By Stacey Federoff
Amanda Miller emerged from the barn at Fright Nights WV wearing something she was given by an actor inside. She and her daughter, Alex Miller, came to the haunt with their friend Lisa Hatcher to celebrate a beloved slasher film franchise character.
“I blew out the birthday candles for Jason, so I got a birthday hat,” Amanda Miller said.
For Friday the 13th, the haunted attraction inside the Resort at Glade Springs in Daniels, WV, hosted “Final Cut: Summer Slaughter,” an interactive experience designed to put visitors inside the movie series featuring Jason Voorhees, who was born on June 13, according to franchise lore.
“Final Cut is a movie-like experience, almost like a game, where people go through different movie sets and there’s a killer on the loose,” said Ashley Long, creative director for Fright Nights WV. “You can duck, you can dip, you can try to avoid, you just can’t run away from them or try to attack back. If you do get killed in one of the scenes or sets an actor places a sticker on your shoulder or back that says you’ve been killed, what scene you’ve been killed in, and what weapon they used.”
“Final Cut” was the first time the haunt planned a one-night event. She said ticket sales for the first-time June event met her attendance goals with customers from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Tennessee, and Texas.
Among a handful of haunted houses open nationwide for the superstitious date popularized by the slasher film franchise, Fright Nights WV wanted to add personalization and interactivity to attract customers in the off-season.
Long found inspiration to add a “video game” element to the haunted house after attending a seminar in February at the Transworld’s Halloween & Attractions Show.
Allen Hopps, owner and director of Dark Hour Haunted House in Plano, Texas, hosted the workshop to describe the “Dead By Dark Hour” attraction, which was first hosted on Friday the 13th in January 2023. The haunt also offered the event this June for the semi-regular holiday.
“I’m always trying new experiences and trying to see, could something like that work within my haunted house?” said Long, a Haunted Attraction Association board member, in February at the trade show.
For the “Final Cut: Summer Slaughter” event, a ticket was $30 plus fees, with the option to add a “Double Feature” ticket for $12 to try and outwit the stalkers in the haunt again.
The event’s success also shows the possibilities for haunts to extend beyond the typical fall season, part of an emerging trend.
Attractions opening for Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day events have become more common, while some haunts have expanded to other holiday themes, such as the upcoming “Capital Purge” event at Laurel’s House of Horrors on July 5 in Laurel, Maryland, featuring fireworks.
“It’s a great opportunity to offer something to do in the community, not just at Halloween,” Alex Miller said. She and her mom didn’t “die,” receiving no stickers from actors, but kept the commemorative card to stick them on, which was given to customers at the end of the walk-through.
Jaylynn Eatmon and Justin Rose, of Bluefield, WV, said they “survived” past the actors.
“It was a workout trying to get through them,” said Eatmon, wearing a Camp Crystal Lake T-shirt for the occasion.
The pair had met C.J. Graham, who played Jason in “Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives,” the week before at Louisville Horror Con, and they had both gotten small Jason mask tattoos at a Friday the 13th event at Custom Dreams Tattoo in Princeton, WV.
“It was a lot better than a (regular season) haunted house,” Eatmon said. “Very exciting.”
Kayla Bradford of Beckley, WV, “survived,” but her friend Brooke Allen, also of Beckley, “died” twice, collected two stickers.
“Stay low and watch your back,” said Bradford, wearing a “Friday the 13th” T-shirt and knee-high socks.
“And throw your friends at Jason,” Allen said.
The Millers and their friend Lisa Hatcher have been coming to Fright Nights WV for several years and plan to return for the fall season. The haunt’s 16th season will feature a new ticket booth and “Monster Merch” booth, which premiered at the “Final Cut” event.
Did this spooky summertime event help the trio of ladies get excited for Halloween?
Unprompted, they gave a unison response: “Absolutely!”
