photograph by Jason Gray
Considered among the best haunted house attractions in the country, The Darkness has long been a fan favorite for Halloween revelers in St. Louis. This “three haunted houses all-in-one location” hit has been featured on the Travel Channel, A&E, The History Channel’s Modern Marvels, and in USA Today, Fangoria Magazine and more. In addition, on November 10, 2014, Scarefest (The Darkness’ parent company) announced that they have purchased the building next door, and plan to include a fourth attraction for 2015! PFSTL would love a sneak peek when that happens… just saying.
photograph by Jocelyn Clemens
photograph by Jason Gray
photograph by Patrick Gioia
photograph by Susan Price
photograph by Jason Gray
photograph by Amanda Miller
Even without the coming fourth attraction, The Darkness does not disappoint. Upon entering, the visitor plunges immediately into a labyrinthian mystery world that is somehow equal parts dark ritual, southern gothic slasher, Victorian haunt, and zombie apocalypse. This is The Darkness proper, and it is easily one of the most fun experiences to be had in the city. Each set is meticulously crafted, which somehow falls short as a worthy superlative. On our visit, the lighting was cued up and the sound effects were turned on, but the animatronics were not activated and the actors were not on set (probably for everyone’s safety). Nonetheless, The Darkness was still pretty scary; I can only imagine how amplified that would be with everything in operation. Beyond the first attraction, Terrorvisions emerges- a Dayglo acid trip with clowns. I’ll just let that description settle on you for a moment.
photograph by Jason Gray
photograph by Patrick Gioia
photograph by Kelly Burchett
photograph by Nancy Luebke
photograph by Diane Cannon Piwowarczyk
photograph by Jason Gray
After Terrorvisions, the visitor passes into the Monster Museum, with a creature feature collection ranging from King Kong’s giant paw to Alien.
In all honesty, this venue does rank up there with the City Museum in terms of interactive fun to be had in St. Louis, so if you find yourself in the mood to be scared next Halloween, be sure to drop in and see the city’s favorite killer clowns, monsters and murderers at The Darkness.
photograph by Jason Gray
photograph by Patrick Gioia
photograph by Alison Carrick
photograph by Susan Price
photograph by Jason Gray
photograph by Jocelyn Clemens
photograph by Diane Cannon Piwowarczyk
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