nightmare superstitions

Although “crazy” is an adjective that is often attributed to New Yorkers, fortunately few of us have experienced the displeasure of spending time in a haunted insane asylum. Nightmare: Superstitions – a fully immersive haunted house experience – provides a realistic sense of what it might actually feel like. The popular Halloween attraction is celebrating its seventh year spooking out New Yorkers, who make their way through a series of rooms in which they’re greeted by different characters.


Some of the stunts are over the top. Early on, a clown gives birth to a man in a diaper who uses his umbilical cord as a weapon. Another room contains a possessed woman in a church who appears to be having a seizure as she foams from the mouth in front of a stunned audience. It’s the more mild features, however, that elicit the most fear. In one room, attendees find themselves surrounded by a dozen priests in hooded robes. There’s no telling which ones are real until they make their presence known.

Unlike at Blood Manor – in which characters primarily interact using noises – the cast at this attraction has a story to tell. In most rooms, the audience members are presented with part of a scary narrative that only intensifies as they make their way towards the end. Often times, mirrors, strobe lights, and other optical illusions are used to skew perceptions.

It takes about 30 minutes to make your way through the attraction and groups of six to eight people typically enter together. Fear seekers should stick towards the front of the pack.