Frightmare Manor Makes Top List of Scariest Haunted Houses in America

There's only a few days of scares left at Frightmare Manor - but you may want to double your efforts to attend as the ScreamPark has been ranked #6 in the nation for the must-see scariest haunted house attractions.

USCityTraveler ranks the scariest sites in the nation.

"This is an incredibly elite honor,” said Chris Wooden, of Frightmare Manor. “We work year-round to provide Fall entertainment that East Tennessee can be proud of. It’s very exciting to have people from around the United States now making Frightmare Manor, right here in

East Tennessee, a destination for their Haunted Experience!"

Boasting 5 terrifying attractions, Frightmare Manor is nationally recognized as THE Money Back Haunt, and has been repeatedly chosen as one of “America’s Best Haunted Attractions” by Hauntworld.com, and voted Tennessee’s “Must-See” Haunted House by HauntedHouseRatings.com.

Frightmare Manor is located at 7588 W. Andrew Johnson Hwy (Hwy 11-E) in Talbott, between Jefferson City and Morristown and has ONLY THREE NIGHTS remaining in the 2014 season! They are open Thursday the 30th, Friday the 31st and Saturday, November 1st beginning at 7 pm each night.

For more information, visit their website

Bonus: Check out the latest report via WVLT-TV.. 

That's One Way To Kill A Vampire

Ah, the children of the night ... what a mess they make!!

Happy Halloween!!

Hancock County Turns Sinister

Sinister Darkness, Hancock County's 2nd Annual Halloween attraction, is a non-profit event hosted by the Sneedville/Hancock Chamber and Community Partners, Inc. The attraction is designed, created, and staffed by community volunteers.

Dates of performances October 17,18, 24, 25, 30, 31 and November 1.

Times: 7PM till 10PM

Prices: Adults $10.00 Children 12 and under $5.00

Location: The Hancock County Farmers Market at the heart of Down Town Sneedville, TN.

Website: https://www.hauntedhancock.com

Located at the Hancock County Farmer's Market site, Sinister Darkness encompasses approximately 6,000 square feet of dark and winding corridors that integrate both 3-D and traditional haunt styling to provide you with a truly disorienting and terrifying experience. All proceeds from this event are donated to participating local fire departments and other non-profit community organizations.

Frightmare Manor 2014 Opens Tonight

Tonight in East Tennessee brings the opening of Frightmare Manor, one of the highest-rated haunted attractions in the country. Plenty of new and terrifying elements will be launched for another unforgettable season of fear and fun.

Night Harvest is their new adventure through the woods around Frightmare Manor - the description from their website gives a sneak peek of what to expect:

"Night Harvest – This authentic wooded environment casts you deep into the dark shadows of the once-forgotten, abandoned Lexer body farm. Lexer had a disturbing name for the process of removing the cold, lifeless corpses and disposing of them in such a way to remain undetected. He would violently drag them under the cloak of darkness to the back of the property to specific areas for disposal– he labeled this act in his manifesto as the “Night Harvest”. This thick-brushed, wooded area at the back of the plantation wreaks of decomposed flesh and marks where the majority of Lexer’s 31 dismembered victims were unearthed in July of 1902. ...

"New for 2014, victims will enter through the original cabin, where skins of animals and humans alike were hung by Lexer for drainage. Still standing today and guarding the entrance of Night Harvest, this original cabin is listed (along with the Manor) on the Hamblen County Historical Preservation List and even today smells of gut-wrenching death. No amount of nervous laughter can help you for you are walking on top of and amongst death at every turn. Enter this cabin and you will begin to see, feel, touch, smell and experience for yourself the Jeremiah Lexer Night Harvest."

And that's just one of five attractions this year!

This "Screampark" spans 20 acres, offers 3 independent, walk thru, Haunted Attractions on site, boasts a heart-pounding Free-Fall Attraction unlike anything you've ever seen in the "Lexer Jump", and features the Nationally Recognized Nightmare at Frightmare Challenge. If all 5 Attractions are successfully completed, you WILL get your money back

Tickets available online via their website.

Frightmare Manor Opens Friday 13th

The daring folks at Frightmare Manor will be open for a very special Friday the 13th sneak preview of the Halloween Screampark which has become a twisted tradition of chills here in East Tennessee.

Creator Chris Wooden and his crew have spent the last year working on the 2013 season, and have brought together an army of ghostly and shadowy creatures to thrill those brave enough to visit Frightmare  Manor.

The nightmares start this Friday at 8 pm, and you can get discount tickets now via their website and keep up with all their tricks and treats at their Facebook page. 

And check back here on this blog as we are tracking down a rarely reported tale of the legend of Jeremiah Lexer, the notorious killer who once made the site if Frightmare Manor his home. Researching the arcane archives, I've found a story you won't believe!

Who knows where the ghouls of Frightmare Manor will pop up next!

Gonna Need a Mop In the Crypt this Halloween

A Halloween tradition on the blog - this brief clip showing what happens when you stake a vampire who has just "eaten".

You're Doing Halloween Wrong If You're Wearing A 'Sexy Rooster' Costume

I'm not quite sure when all this happened, but it's been pretty obvious for a long time that Halloween costume companies have lost their minds.

Proof in 2012, for example, arrives as a "Sexy Rooster Costume" for a woman to wear. Rooster, people. As in a male chicken. 

Some seriously stoned or drunk folks late in the office or just utterly burnt out at their jobs must have dreamed this one up. Or maybe it came from a bizarre episode of someone's psychotherapy session.

'Cause, see, of course, a "rooster" isn't a female creature. Not that "Sexy Chicken' outfit would be a whole lot better. Just who the outfit is meant for and just who would find a rooster sexy ... 

The folks here at SomethingAwful.com  have more on the "Sexy Rooster" and the other horribly bad ideas for Halloween - like Sexy Beetlejuice and Sexy Grinch. 

Maybe the madness of such outfits is indeed a frightening thing after all. 

Frightmare Manor Soundtrack 2012

To help get you in the mood for the horrors and screams ahead as Frightmare Manor continues their run for the 2012 Halloween season in East Tennessee, I've put together a soothing little soundtrack of horrors for you.

Get your tickets online here - or be sure and explore their Facebook page each week to win FREE tickets. Also Papa  John's Pizza is offering special deals for Frightmare fans too - just check out Frightmare's Facebook page for details.

For now, bring on the chill of a crisp October night, crank up your speakers and enjoy!!!

Win Free Tickets to Frightmare Manor

What scares you?

Clowns with bad teeth? Slimy creatures clutching at you out of the darkness? Maybe it's watching a presidential debate??

Find out what brings on the Fear for you with some free passes to the most popular haunted attraction in the state! Free tickets to Frightmare Manor can be yours via their Facebook page - and freebies include those VIP passes which means a no-wait entrance into the grisly hallways and haunted woods surrounding this annual 4-attraction scream park.

If you're headed to this terror-filled house of horrors, you might want to grab some solid rest and relaxation by staying overnight at the nearby Hampton Inn or Comfort Suites, which offer special packages for Frightmare Victims ... I mean Guests. Yeah, Guests. Just call them for information:

Hampton Inn Morristown: 423-587-0952
Comfort Inn Morristown: 423-585-4000

Also new this Frightmare Manor is a gigantic outdoor movie screen so that Victims - Guests, sorry - can get in the mood for the scares and scream which await them.

And if you are looking for some classic scares to take home with you, then you'll want to check out the 100th Anniversary of Universal Pictures, as they offer a very special first-time-ever release on Blu-ray of some of the most famous monsters of filmland.

This new release of 8 movies - from Dracula and Frankenstein to the 3-D Creature from the Black Lagoon - went on sale this week and it includes over 12 hours of bonus materials too. A full rundown of all 8 movies and all the extras are right here at Dread Central.

It's October - time to get ready for some Frightmare Nightmares!

Frightmare Manor 2012 Set To Open

"Now, clear your minds. It knows what scares you. It has from the very beginning. Don't give it any help, it knows too much already."

Terror comes back to town as Frightmare Manor opens on Sept. 21, kicking off another unforgettable Halloween season at their 4-Attraction Scream Park.

Voted the Number One Haunted Attraction by WBIR-TV in 2009, 2010 and 2011, smart money says they'll capture that title again for 2012. An army of creative folk, ghouls, zombies and just plain gruesome ghosts are planning now to scare you witless.

As I have for the past few years, once again I too am your unofficial Blogging Host and Guide to Frightmare Manor. Chris Wooden, the owner and creator of this unique attraction, along with a dedicated crew, work year-round to make Frightmare a must-see event.

The Attractions include Frightmare Manor, Frightmare Backwoods, Frightmare Carnivore and the world-famous (or infamous) Nightmare at Frightmare Challenge - if you can endure all four attractions on one visit, you can get your admission price back.

Some details and a behind-the-scenes peek for the 2011 event can be found here, especially regarding the haunted history of the location and the notorious tale of the site's ghostly inspiration, Jeremiah Lexer:

"Jeremiah Lexer was the original property owner of this entire plantation around the turn of the 18th century. The past 2 years we have focused on more recent, controversial events surrounding the 2001 closing of the
successful restaurant on this property. Over the past year, we have dug into the record books and unearthed a lot of forgotten (or hidden) information about Jeremiah Lexer and his original homestead. We believe
Haunted House customers want to experience TRUE TERROR. Because of this, Frightmare Manor will remain at the old Jeremiah Lexer Plantation. We will continue to learn and share with our customers the evidence over the next few years."

Frightmare Manor also has a Facebook page you should check out, as they offer free tickets and major discounts on VIP packages too, plus it's one of the best ways to keep up with all the latest news and information.

Their main website has all the info you need to order tickets and their full calendar of events for 2012. They'll be open on weekends in September, starting on the 21st. And I'll have more exclusive reports and information to share with you as their new season unfolds. 

Can you take the Frightmare Challenge?

The Thing They Don't Tell You About Vampire Slaying

The video is a tradition here for Halloween - hope you enjoy the day/night/tricks/treats.

Paranormal Team Investigates Frightmare Manor

Prior to opening of Frightmare Manor in Talbott this year, a team of paranormal researchers took their team through the old house on the property. This team is from the area, and I spoke with them about what happened when they got into the house - they asked not to be identified, as they prefer to do their work without much fanfare or attention.

"There's a lot of activity in that old house," one team member told me. "The K-2 meter was off the scale all through the building." A K-2 is an electromagnetic field detector most ghost-hunters use.

"In almost no time, we made contact with 2 young girls," he said. And again, for privacy reasons, they asked me not to give too many details, as the team is still planning more investigations and they are trying not to gain notoriety as much as they are interested in learning all they can first. The team did learn the names of the girls, and their presence was quite powerful, they said.

Whether or not these girls are connected to the stories of Jeremiah Lexer, the mysterious owner of the property who committed some heinous crimes before taking his own life, is being investigated too. Lexer's tale was mentioned in this previous post. What is for certain is how intense that night investigating the house became for the team. Their faces and voices were greatly strained and it was obvious the experience left it's mark on them.

It's no surprise that for the second year in a row, Frightmare Manor has been voted the best haunted attraction in East Tennessee in a poll from WBIR-TV.

The Frightmare 'Screampark' is about to start their Halloween weekend run and you can get discount tickets by ordering online from their website.

And The Knox Horror Grindhouse Winner Is ... In My Home!!!

Already a banner year here at the house when it comes to all things Horror for Halloween 2011, I've more great news to share - this weekend my friend Clint Keller picked up the award for the best grindhouse-style trailer at the Knoxville Horror Fest Grindhouse Grind-Out for his epic tale of a maniac mechanic, called, naturally "Mechaniac". And the Best Actor award went to my roommate and semi-adopted brother (or did he adopt me?) Timothy Mooney.

Tim effortlessly portrays a crazed killer mechanic who does not like it when folks don't take care of their cars. He's not about being Green, but he will make a deep red bloody mess out of you. Heh heh.

Ah, but enough talk - here's the grainy, film-scarred trailer of what has to be the best grindhouse movie you never saw!

More Secrets of Frightmare Manor

(UPDATE: Be sure to check out the new expansion of Frightmare Manor here too!! And the new Night Harvest section will scare you silly.)

I sat down with Chris Wooden, the creator behind Frightmare Manor, now open for their third year in Talbott, smack on the border of Jefferson and Hamblen counties, to see if we could get some more details about what audiences can expect if they dare take the journey through all four stages of frights and chills offered at this "screampark".

I can tell you that the pure enthusiasm from Chris and his crew of Frightmare Fiends is enormous. As they have said before, for them, running Frightmare Manor is like Christmas for them.Their delight is indeed much like a wide-eyed child on Christmas morning - except of course, the child here is rather demented and deeply devoted to making you shriek out loud many times, no matter what your age.

So Chris, tell us a little about the planning that goes into this huge event. Do you have a regular team of creators involved?

"Planning for Frightmare Manor is truly a year round event. Our managers and actors keep in touch throughout the year and brainstorm new and creative ways to torment our victims. This event is in our blood and is something we enjoy working on year round. Once our plans are set, the redesign and renovation work usually begins late April."

Tell us what a visitor can expect from the four different attractions at Frightmare?

"Each attraction for 2011 is designed to be a completely different experience for our victims. We offer 3 unique haunted attractions at 1 location, plus the Frightmare Challenge - each mesmerizing in their own way. Whether it be through high-tech animatronics and Hollywood DMX Lighting, or old fashioned blood and chainsaws, we attack ALL 5 senses when someone steps foot onto this old plantation. We invest more and more money every year to give our victims a terrifying experience, that they want to experience year after year. We guarantee new and innovative haunts every year!

"New for 2011, we have a 1 of a kind, custom, entry piece that, by now, everyone has noticed when they drive past our property. Victims must enter into Frightmare Carnivore through this enormous Beast Facade Piece. There is not another example of this creation in the world. It was the Entry Piece to one of the largest haunted attractions in the U.S. for many years, until it's relocation to Frightmare Manor. This is only 1 example of how we will go the extra mile, traveling the U.S., to provide our customers with the Ultimate Haunted Experience. When customers come to Frightmare Manor, they will be seeing the fruits of not only our hard work, but the evidence of the vast industry connections we have, which allows us to bring the BEST props and scare-tactics to the Knoxville, TN area seen ANYWHERE in the U.S.!"

What can you tell us about the tales of a serial killer on this property?

"Jeremiah Lexer was the original property owner of this entire plantation around the turn of the 18th century. The past 2 years we have focused on more recent, controversial events surrounding the 2001 closing of the
successful restaurant on this property. Over the past year, we have dug into the record books and unearthed a lot of forgotten (or hidden) information about Jeremiah Lexer and his original homestead. We believe
Haunted House customers want to experience TRUE TERROR. Because of this, Frightmare Manor will remain at the old Jeremiah Lexer Plantation. We will continue to learn and share with our customers the evidence over the next few years."

This must take a lot of work from performers and tech crews - about how many people are involved?

"Many Haunted Attractions choose to use volunteers to staff their event. Frightmare Manor is proud to employ close to 80 staff seasonally. Most of our actors tell us it's an experience they would do for free, but we believe our actors truly appreciate the payment and we feel they absolutely deserve it! Working at Frightmare Manor is a unique experience and we have hundreds of applications per year. Providing seasonal employment to our community is truly a joy for us. It's a true Win-Win!"

I can verify for you, dear reader, since I worked at Frightmare last year, that everyone involved works very, very hard to make your experience unforgettable and uncanny.

Don't miss it!

Frightmare Manor 2011 Now Open!

Ah, Halloween.

".... you don't know much, do you ... on this night, the barriers would be down, you see, between the real and the unreal, and the dead might be looking in..."

Chilly nights, shadowy forms shambling through the darkness, screams echoing across the rolling hills of East Tennessee - and the return of Frightmare Manor in Talbott, right on the border of Jefferson City and Morristown.

I worked there last year and had a real blast scaring folks silly, and owner Chris Wooden has gathered another horde of horrible things to scare you silly for 2011. Student night is this week, Oct. 20th, and with a student I.D. you can get a $2 discount off admission. Also on Oct. 30th at 2 pm it's Kid's Day - and it's free, people. And kids can meet some of the cast members too.

The Screampark (I love that!) is open Oct. 20th from 7 til 10 pm, Oct 21 and 22 from 7 til 1 am, Oct. 27 from 7 til 10, Oct 28 and 29 from 7 til 1 am, Oct 30 and 31 from 7 til midnight, and Nov 4 and 5 from 7 til midnight.

Order tickets online and you can save on admission too.

Here's a trailer for this year's amazing 4 Attraction Screampark:

In coming days, I'll share more behind-the-scenes info with you from Chris and his Frightmare Fiends. UPDATE: Click here for the interview and more secrets of Frightmare!

Ah, Halloween.

Music for Halloween 2010

The Trouble With Vampires

The following video is a Halloween tradition here at your Cup of Joe.

Halloween Weekend at Frightmare Manor

As I've been telling you, this month has been a frightful one.


This Halloween weekend is likely to be a time of hard work and constant screams as we ramp it all up for the crowds - which have grown and grown and will be huuuuuuuuge this weekend. The performers and the staff at Frightmare Manor work very long hours to make you shiver, shake and scream.

Last night was pretty good too - two ambulances carted would-be challengers away. Yep, ambulances. Seems a couple of folks took the money-back challenge and well, just got overwhelmed. No one was really hurt, panic just took them over and they called the ambulance - and there is good reason folks have to sign a waiver to take the challenge. Sometimes folks might just encounter something they cannot endure or overcome. It happens. But it sure is entertaining to see the faces of people buying tickets when ambulances are on the scene, heh heh.

Look, no one wants you to get hurt at our attraction - but we do want to scare you silly. What happens in the Frightmare Challenge? It changes from night to night, and only a precious few staffers know what you might have to do ... or see ... or taste ... Oh my.

It's funny how audiences respond to fear - for instance, last night, a group of young girls, aged about 15 to 18 years old, came through the Manor house, and they got about one-third of the way through when one of them hit my room and totally locked up and could not move and just stood there and screamed and screamed and screamed. One of her friends said "She's having a complete panic attack and we have to get her out of here!!"


I quickly ushered the group out a safe doorway and out of the house ... but her friends wanted back in to finish the tour, so back they came. After they passed my room, I wondered what had happened to their "friend", and looked outside and saw her all alone, abandoned by her friends, just sitting on the ground all wide-eyed and shaking. Some friends they were. After a moment or so, a Frightmare staffer took her under his wing to help calm her down, since her friends had just dumped her.

(What's in my room? It's just me. And some darkness. And you might witness a little of my madness ..... Just be warned that we take screams as applause, thankyouverymuch)

Frightmare Manor is overwhelming for some, while others giggle and laugh madly, thoroughly enjoying the seriously spooky scares and screams which fill the house. Some people act bored - I know they are not. Some run through, eyes half closed, everyone hanging onto each other with death grips. Sometimes, a big old boy will hurl his girlfriend/wife ahead of them like sacrificial lambs.

Last week - and this one too - we've had visitors from out of state, traveling for hours to see our haunted attraction in beautiful downtown Talbott, Tennessee. Sometimes, especially late in the evenings, the lines get pretty long. I like those folks at lot - they are willing to wait their turn just so we can scare them.

As for folks like me who work at Frightmare, we are scary year round I suppose, at least, I know I am. Heh heh. But only once a year do we get a chance to share the scare. Once the season is over, we'll slink back to our hidey-holes, watch a lot of horror movies, plan new ways to scare people .... and look for ways to make Halloween unforgettable.

Do you have what it takes to meet us?

(NOTE: We're open Friday, Saturday and Halloween Sunday from 7pm til 1 am. And we're also open next Friday and Saturday too!)

Top 10 Things Most Overheard Things Behind The Scenes At Frightmare Manor:

Top Ten Things Most Overheard Things Behind The Scenes At Frightmare Manor:

10. "What time is it?"

9. "We got screamers comin'!!"

8. "I can't see the parking lot for all the people!"

7. "I really have to go to the bathroom."

6. "Make me look really crazy."

5. "Make me look really dead."

4. "Is this enough blood?."

3. "Where's my machete?"*

2. "He screamed like a little girl, bwahahahahahaha ... oh, man this is so much fun!!"

1. "I need more fake blood!"**



*Okay, that was me the other night, asking everyone that one. I never found it, but I found something that is sooooo much better. I won't tell you just what it is in this post, but I will say that this past weekend, I got more screams and jumps than ever.

** It is said by almost everyone, but I will ALWAYS say it the most during a Halloween show. :) I noticed Saturday night that one 10-gallon bucket full o' fake blood was right near my room, and I wasn't sure what it was mostly made of, and I stuck my finger in to get just a drop on it so I could taste it. Result of taste test: A 10-gallon bucket full of Karo syrup-based fake blood is a HUUUUGE amount of sugar and my head buzzed for 2 minutes like I had just put my tongue on an electric fence.

Can You Take The Frightmare Manor Challenge?

UPDATE: Learn more about Frightmare Manor 2011 here!!
---

The weekend approaches, which means it's time to suit up again in them scary monster clothes and work to bring fear to life at Frightmare Manor, right here in beautiful downtown Talbott, TN.

The local paper shot some video of what goes on inside ... where all that uneasy laughter starts turning to screams. It's not just a haunted house - it's 4 haunted attractions that almost anyone can survive ... can you?