Staten Island’s haunted houses, like Staten Island itself, seem like the perfect places to celebrate Halloween.
There are a lot of aspects to Staten Island that seem ominous. For example, while it is part of the biggest city in the country, it is commonly referred to as the “forgotten borough”. While that moniker doesn’t mean the same thing as ‘scary’ or ‘haunted’, it does end an air of mystery to this, the smallest borough in New York City.
Beyond that, Halloween on Staten Island offers neighborhood trick or treating more commonly seen in true suburban settings. And the fact that Staten Island is, obviously, an island, gives it a sense of separation from nearby New Jersey and the glittering towers of Manhattan which, from some parts of the island, can be seen across the water.
But the highlight of Staten Island’s Halloween for many are its haunted houses. While not as well known, or as much of a tourist attraction as the haunted houses in nearby Manhattan, there are many neighborhood and community haunted houses on Staten Island, but the two that are the biggest attractions for Halloween are reviewed here.
Trapped in Purgatory
5050 Hylan Boulevard
Staten Island, New York
http://www.trappedinpurgatorynyc.com/trapped_in_purgatory.html
Trapped in Purgatory is located on the South Shore of Staten Island and is one of the the most popular Halloween destinations in the area. It is staged at the popular Greenside Up Nursery from late September through early November (check Trapped in Purgatory’s website for exact times and schedule).
Trapped in Purgatory is a very reasonably priced experience and while it delivers on the standard level of ‘fright’, it is not too much for younger children. They do a good job of hiring good actors to play the ‘monster’ roles on the weekends and are very customer focused and, while out of role, friendly. It is open during the week for self guided walks.
Trapped in Purgatory offers some nice extras as well, with things such as palm readings being fun parts of the overall Halloween haunted house experience. Through a partnership with another Staten Island haunted house called Slaughterhouse (reviewed below), discounted packages are available for those wishing to visit both of these haunted houses on Staten Island.
Slaughterhouse
2449 Veterans Road West
Staten Island, New York
http://www.trappedinpurgatorynyc.com/slaughterhouse2008.html
Slaughterhouse is the evil twin (or are they both evil twins?) of Trapped in Purgatory.
Slaughterhouse too is a Staten Island haunted house staged another Greenside Up Nursery location. This is very similar to the Trapped in Purgatory layout, but its slightly larger and generally has more ‘monsters’ per square foot. Slaughterhouse opens for the Halloween season in late September and runs through early November.
So if you live on Staten Island, or a nearby part of New York City or New Jersey, and want to visit a good Haunted House at a great price for Halloween, these are two excellent options on New York City’s ‘forgotten borough’.
