Haunted House Ratings

After an overnight stay in the actual Frankenstein’s castle in Germany, Tim Gavinski was hooked on all things Halloween, and for 20 years he and wife Ann Marie turned their home into an annual Halloween extravaganza.  Finally, they decided to take their venture commercial, eventually expanding to the Waukesha Expo Center under the name Wisconsin Feargrounds, where they now feature three totally awesome haunted houses every fall.

The cornerstone of Wisconsin Feargrounds’ Trilogy of Terror is Morgan Manor, haunted by the evil Morgana and her eight equally evil sisters.  The second attraction, CarnEvil is all new for 2013 and features a morbid, ghastly undead carnival-style freak show of Morgana’s evil minions. In the third attraction, Unstable, Bezel and his Hillbilly Horde stalk terrified victims through a labyrinth of terror where nothing is as it appears.

The Gavinski’s branched out this past May, to host the first annual Wisconsin Zombie Mud Run, a 5-kilometer obstacle course which competitors attempt to negotiate without losing all three “lifelines” to zombies in hot pursuit.  Similar to flag football, each participant gets three lifelines, or flags, and those who make it to the finish line with at least one lifeline are declared the winners. The 13 obstacles, including a slime pit, are considered zombie-free zones, to give competitors a fighting chance against the zombies who are, after all, tireless.  The event was a huge success, and plans are already underway for the 2014 competition.

Wisconsin Feargrounds opens for the haunting season this year on October 4 and runs through November 2, with tickets starting at just $13 for Morgan Manor only, and $30 for a 3-haunt pass, or $45 for a  three-haunt speed pass.  A limited number of Early Bird Special discounts are available online each night, for those willing to check in at the box office between 7 and 8 pm, priced at just $20 for all three haunts.