In the middle of downtown Dothan, AL – on a backroad where it looks like there may have been some bar hopping going on from some locals- right passed all the lighted up area, it goes dark and creepy and all you see in the darkness is a red light on the second story of an old creepy home. There you will find Frightmares Dothan.
I’ve been going to Frightmares for many years now. Along with a few other locations, this one always makes me feel at home. They take time to talk to you, ask how you’re doing. They take time to talk to the patrons in line and answer any questions they may have. The “house” was established in 1992 and they’re always doing remodeling to make it bigger and better than the prior year. This place is family owned and the original people who started it, now have their children working in there as well, learning the scares, some have literally started as babies. The originals that have been there for years, that have always made me feel welcomed and will make you all feel welcomed, Kevin, Shea, Eric, Ryan and Amanda. If you make it to Frightmares, ask for one of them and they’ll make you feel right at home. Shout out as always, to my girl, Makayla- you may find her terrorizing people at the top of the stairs, asking if you want to “play” with her.
Now to the good stuff. Although Frightmares isn’t as BIG as some of the others, they certainly hold their own when it comes to the scares. It takes about 20-30 minutes to get through the house, depending on how fast the “leader” find their way through it. You get to sit in the parlor to hear a little ghost tale, get the rules of the house and we even got to see Gage from Pet Sematary. As I’ve always said, Frightmares is like no other haunt I’ve ever been to. Imagine your sense of sight taken away and you’re strictly dependent on your sense of touch and sense of sound. THAT is what you’ll be experiencing with Frightmares. You literally can’t see a foot in front of you and you have to FEEL your way through the rooms. At some point, the only thing you can hear is the sound of your heart pounding. The group I was in this year, I ended up as the caboose in the very back- to which I thought I would be safe and miss most of the scares- boy was I wrong. No matter first, middle or last, you’re sure to get just as much “attention” as the rest.
Frightmares has just enough ratio of darkness versus scares. Just about the time you feel like your eyes are adjusting to a tiny bit of light, BAM- you enter a room with a character that you had NO IDEA was there. There were so many scares- I felt like more this year than years in the past. We always enjoy ourselves at Frightmares, but this year it seemed to be so much better than before. It seemed as if every time your heart was able to calm down a bit, they “get you” again.
They’re big on using movie themes, which it always a personal favorite. They had a few original people as well. Keep your eyes peeled in the darkness, or Pennywise may make you float, too, 13 ghosts may keep you in the glass house with them, Jeepers Creepers comes out to play every 23 years and make sure you don’t fall asleep or Freddy will see you in your dreams. These are just a FEW that you will experience.
Through the dark halls, up the stairs, down a huge slope- twists and turns around every corner. You finally find your way outside BUT- don’t take a deep breathe just yet, you’re not out of the woods YET.
The rest…. You will have to see for yourself.
