A night of terror, FrightTown brings shivers to Portland

It's a time for spooky noises, dark alleys and scary costumes. Drapes rustle, candles flicker and the moon is high in the sky. Halloween is upon us and there are more than enough events to capture the holiday spirit. Aside from the copious amounts of candy creating sugar induced comas for all ages, there are many ways to enjoy the night. One the scariest ways is haunted houses.

The coliseum is dark inside, with few lights on, just enough to walk around and not run into anyone. There are screams of fright and enjoyment right as you enter.

People stand in groups, while zombies, vampires and face painted characters walk around, jumping at you to scare you, running after you, or just popping up behind you quietly.

People stand in lines waiting to enter the haunted houses. Anxious and scared, while hearing frightened screams from the other side. All for fun and entertainment, these haunted houses are full of fright for anyone.

Baron Von Goolo's “FrightTown” in Portland, Oregon has been named one of the best haunted houses event in Oregon. Horror culture magazine, Rue Morgue, has called FrightTown, “one of the best haunted attractions on the whole continent!”

And with three indoor haunted houses at one location for just one ticket, “FrightTown is also your best value for Halloween entertainment this year.”

“This is FrightTown's 11th year running,” said executive director, Dave Helfrey. “our all new haunt, The Contagion, drops you into the heart of a city ravaged by an unstoppable zombie plague! There's something to scare everyone at FrightTown!”

FrightTown is located in the Exhibit Hall at the Rose Quarter, on Portland’s east side between the Broadway Bridge and the Steel Bridge. FrightTown is below the Coliseum: in fact, you enter FrightTown off of the courtyard in front of the Coliseum.

WHAT:

FrightTown Portland
October 5-7, 10-14, 17-21 and 24-31
7-11 p.m. Fridays & Saturdays
7-10 p.m. All Other Nights
Tickets are $20 | All Ages 

WHERE:

Veteran’sMemorial Coliseum
1401 N Wheeler Ave
Portland, OR 97227 

“This year was my first year going,” says local resident, Jerry Range, “I'm all for zombies and everything, so before I even walked into the coliseum and saw a guy outside with a chainsaw I already knew I was going to love it.”

FrightTown is open the whole month of October. It first opened on Friday October 5,. It stays open 21 nights through Halloween. They are closed every Monday and Tuesday except for the last week of the month leading up to Halloween.

The doors open at 7pm every night, closing at 11pm on Friday & Saturday and 10pm on all other nights. For more information and a chance to win free tickets, go to frighttown.com.

While haunted houses are for fun, they are not for everyone.

“As Baron Von Goolo would say "You can pay for a babysitter tonight or a therapist tomorrow,” said Helfrey. “Haunted houses are about being scary and we are very good at what we do. While we have no age restrictions at FrightTown, the management does not feel that FrightTown is appropriate for very young children.”

“The makeup was amazing, zombies had fake blood on their faces, things would jump out at you,” said resident of Albany, Kara Baugher. “There were a few times where we would come up to a dark room around a corner and I would make someone I didn't know go in front of me.”

FrightTown offers disturbing and often risqué humor. The first haunted house, “The Contagion,” is intensely scary and graphic full of zombies and graphic scenes.

“This year we were fortunate enough to actually have one of the makeup artists from the television show Grimm, help with special effect makeup,” said Helfrey.

The Black Box features scenes of gore and mayhem. Finally, there is the Museum of Horrors. Where you discover the sewer-licious abominations that dwell within this new exhibit, “The Storm Drain of Ultimate Stank!” 

“The set up, the costumes and the makeup was absolutely amazing. I am definitely going to try and get more people to go next year,” said Range.

Helfrey said that they have had four year old kids go through our haunts and have a lot of fun, laughing and smiling. While forty year old adults have gone through and literally soiled themselves.

“This is a very subjective call and we will always rely on the judgment of the parents or guardians,” said Helfrey.

If you are ready for a night of fright and the time of your life, take a trip up to FrightTown. Where zombies are abundant, vampires are thirsty and there enough scare to last a lifetime.