Goretorium joins other frights of fancy
Eli Roth's Goretorium has nothing to do with Halloween.
Yes, there are monsters lurking in the corners and enough body parts on hand to build a dozen Frankensteins. It looks and sounds like a haunted house, which is something typically associated with Halloween.
But Eli Roth's Goretorium has as much to do with Christmas or Thanksgiving as it does with any October holiday, says the attraction's CEO, Robert Frey. And that's a good thing, since it will be open year-round.
"We're not really a Halloween destination," Frey says of the 15,000-square-foot Goretorium, which opens today. "Nothing we created is based on Halloween."
Instead, it's based on horror director Eli Roth's overactive imagination. And in this case, horror is a lot like roast turkey; you may eat turkey for Thanksgiving but that doesn't mean you can't, and don't, enjoy it throughout the year, Frey says.
Roth, the writer/director of horror-gore movies "Hostel" and "Cabin Fever," has created a haunted house that he believes will frighten and gross out even the most hardened of horror fans.
Those who buy the $40 ticket wander through the Hotel Delmont, witnessing firsthand the horrifying things that evil hospitality workers can inflict upon unsuspecting guests. It's never safe to sleep in the Hotel Delmont because there's a 100 percent chance that those who do will end up on the buffet table. A smorgasbord full of heads, legs, livers and other human organs offers proof of the depraved nature of the Delmont's fictional owners.
Other touches that may turn visitors stomachs: the remnants of a tortured body in a barber's chair; one-arm bandit slot machines with human arms serving as handles; piles of bodies that await butchering; a gruesome kitchen with body parts strewn around the room. And those are just the inanimate props. Frey promises a cast of 45 actors will provide plenty of frightening moments for guests.
For the past several years, Roth has dreamed of creating a year-round horror attraction. The Strip is the perfect location for the first of what may be several Goretoriums, he says.
With $10 million invested in the Goretorium and a 30-year lease at Harmon Corner, both Roth and Frey are showing they believe such a venture can succeed.
Roth wants to do for horror attractions what Cirque du Soleil did for the Vegas show.
"We wanted to build something that will be a Vegas establishment," Roth says. "Think about what Cirque did to the circus. It elevated it. It continues with different forms. There's always a new Cirque show people want to go see."
But opening a year-round horror attraction is a risky business. You're betting that people will be in the mood for a good scare regularly.
"I've always been really scared of doing that," Jason Egan, founder of Fright Dome at Circus Circus, says of operating year-round. The attraction is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year by pairing up with the Godfather of Zombies, George A. Romero. He directed some of Egan's favorite movies, including the zombiefest "Night of the Living Dead."
Fright Dome has been a success since opening, pulling in thousands of people a night during its monthlong run every year. The only complaint Egan says he receives about Fright Dome is that the lines are too long.
But even with capacity crowds every night and a heavyweight like Romero on the creative team, Egan says he would not operate year-round.
Last year, he was contracted to open a year-round horror attraction at Times Scare in New York City. Throughout the design process, Egan says he advised the owners that they would need several elements to be successful.
The haunted house portion is but one part of a complete experience, including a restaurant, an off-Broadway musical and live events. That's what it takes to operate a successful year-round horror attraction, Egan says.
"If you're going to do it, it's got to be more of an experience," Egan says. "Haunted attractions are big and you have to have a big, beefy space. Rents in Vegas are still high. We have over 200 actors each night, so you've got to charge a hefty ticket price or have a lot of heads in the door. The days of build it and they will come are gone. Now it's build it and work your butt off."
Contact Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564.
HAUNTED HAPPENINGS
Fright Dome at Circus Circus enlists zombie master George A. Romero to make the attraction's 10th anniversary special. The attraction opens Saturday featuring five haunted houses and multiple scare zones throughout the Adventuredome. The Godfather of Horror, Romero, is known for films such as "Night of the Living Dead," "Day of the Dead" and many more. This year, he helped Fright Dome create a zombie haunted house called Ward of the Dead. Fright Dome offers more than 200,000 square feet of scares, says founder Jason Egan. Hours are from 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday to Oct.31 on select nights. General admission is $37.95; for an additional $15, you can get a fast pass, which allows express entry into all five haunted houses. For more information, visit frightdome.com or call 794-3939.
Other haunted happenings in Las Vegas:
Goretorium, the new year-round horror attraction from director Eli Roth, opens its doors today on the Strip. Welcome to the Hotel Delmont, where the owners have gone crazy and started feeding guests to their guests. Confused? You won't be when you see the body parts strewn about the kitchen in the Goretorium. Or hear the bodies sliding down the laundry chute into the boiler room where they're butchered. The attraction, across the street from The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, is open 24 hours daily. Tickets cost $40. For more information or to buy tickets, visit goretorium.com.
The Freakling Brothers celebrate their 20th anniversary in the haunted house business this year. The three haunted houses - Circus of Horrors, Castle Vampyre and Gates of Hell - open Friday at the AMC Theatres Rainbow Promenade 10, 2321 N. Rainbow Blvd. The attraction will be open Friday through Sunday, Oct. 5 to 7, and Oct. 12 to 31. Hours are from 7 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and from 7 to 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays. Tickets cost $12 for Circus of Horrors and Castle Vampyre and $15 for the Gates of Hell. Or pay $30 for a "Freak Pass" that gets you in all three haunted houses. An "all you can scream pass" costs $35. A line pass T-shirt costs $10 and gets the owner around the line. You must be 17 years and older or accompanied by an adult. For more information, call 362-3327 or visit freaklingbros.com.
Madame Tussauds Las Vegas, 3377 Las Vegas Blvd. South, brings back its popular Halloween experience "After Dark," from 9 p.m. to midnight Oct. 26 to 28. Those wax figures get just a little creepier with the lights off and who-knows-what lurking in the dark. If you believe in ghosts, you should know that the museum was featured on Travel Channel's "Ghost Adventures" last year because workers had reported supernatural encounters. Consider yourself warned. Admission is $18 online, $20 at the box office. For groups of 10 or more, admission is $10.95 each. Nevada residents can get $5 off by showing a valid ID. Check out madametussauds.com for details.
For the first time, the Amazing Johnathan opens up his once-private haunted experience to the public Oct. 6. Every night starting at 7, guests can tour the SCREAMont Experiment in the Las Vegas Club, 18 Fremont St. This haunted hotel is 35,000 square feet of scares involving optical illusions, special effects, ghosts, monsters and more. Tickets cost $20 for general admission and $30 for front-of-the-line access. On Tuesdays, locals with ID will be able to purchase two tickets for the price of one. Visit screamont.com
The Fremont Street Experience hosts the fourth annual OktoberFrightFest, a combination of Oktoberfest and Halloween, starting Friday. Guests will be able to visit Asylum, a local haunted house in its 14th year, while celebrating beer. The Asylum opens at 6:30 p.m. on Friday to Sunday, Oct. 5 to 7, Oct. 11 to 14, Oct. 18 to 21, Oct. 25 to 28, Oct. 30 and 31. General Admission is $15. For $5 more, get a VIP ticket that lets you bypass the line. Locals can receive a $3 discount by showing valid ID. For additional information, visit vegasexperience.com.
