We Survived "The Torture Chamber"

Tonight we visited Jule's first (and possibly last) haunted house that is typical around the United States in coordination with Halloween.  These usually begin around the first of October and end the first Friday in November.  Jule tells me that in Germany there are similar things, but that they're not so scary and there are not so many.  Just in this area there are probably 10 to 15 of these houses of terror.

The haunted house we chose is one in Benton, Arkansas called The Torture Chamber.  I had read reviews of this one, as well as some information about the man who designs the maze of terror each year.  It sounded like this one, if any, would give Jule an experience that she would not forget, if we made it out.

The last time I had been to a haunted house production was when I was about Jule's age.  I got so scared that I punched one of the ghouls in the face and ran.  The ghoul chased me through the maze with a chainsaw and tackled me to the floor in order to take me out to the police.  I got in big trouble.  I am, obviously, not the kind of person to punch anyone in the face.  It was a pure reaction.  They say that humans have a "fight or flight" reaction when faced with fear.  I had a fight AND flight reaction.  To avoid going to jail, I promised the policeman that I would never return to a haunted house.  For over 20 years I have kept that promise.  Until tonight.

We went to The Torture Chamber with Wimee Alexander and my friend Jessica Keane.  Jule was going to enter with Jordan Alexander and his friends who were already there, but she decided at the last minute to go in with the old folks because she "wanted to hear me scream."  I think she heard plenty.

Here is an example of what we experienced.  We couldn't take video in there, but Jule and I agree that this video is very close... except that our experience was much darker.  Most of the time you couldn't see anything in The Torture Chamber.

And below is the OFFICIAL audio of all of us.  (If you listen at the beginning, you can hear a monster telling me to put my phone away.)  It's ten minutes of screaming, so it won't be of much fun for most of you to hear.  I had put my cell phone in my pocket.  But Jule's brother Benedict might enjoy hearing his sister scream.  You can only hear her occasionally because the phone was in my pocket and I was terrified.

I don't remember any of this.  I think my brain blocked it all out.  I especially don't remember screaming like that!