‘The Crypt’ haunted house is back
By: Ryan Scott
October means several things to Phoenix area residents. Cooler weather is on the way, pumpkin spice is back and Halloween is just around the corner.
Horror movie marathons, costume parties, candy and more will all be happening throughout the month, but Arizona has also become something of a hub for haunted attractions.
There are haunted house attractions spread all throughout the state.
Rob Zombie has opened his Great American Nightmare at WestWorld in Scottsdale this year, Fear Farm in Phoenix still claims to be the best haunted attraction in the state and there is the 13th Floor Haunted House that was an official selection of American Haunts.
However, Mesa Community College students don’t have to travel far to get a good scare. The Crypt Haunted Attractions has been operating in Arizona for 15 years and currently is located just off the U.S. 60 Freeway on Alma School Road in the Fiesta Mall parking lot.
This marks the fourth year that The Crypt has been at this location and the owners, Keith Rich and Mark Anderson, are happy to be back.
“We’re both East Valley residents and there is a lot of accessibility,” Rich said.
The attraction features two separate haunted houses, The Crypt and The Asylum, as well as the Chaos Maze.
“It changes completely every year. It takes a whole year to plan, prep and design,” Rich said.
This year, The Crypt features a zombie theme and The Asylum will provide its scares via doctors and patients trying to breakout.
“We leave it up to what’s going on in the world,” Anderson said. “We want people to have a good time.”
Anderson added that he and Rich are very aware that not everyone is scared easily and they do their best to ensure that even if someone doesn’t scare easily that they still have fun and are entertained.
The Crypt Haunted Attractions is open now through Nov. 1. Tickets are $23 for the Ultimate Fright Pass which grants access to all attractions, $15 for a single haunted house and $5 for the Chaos Maze. More info at www.hauntedaz.com
