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St. Louis cloaks fears in The Darkness...

Many of us seem to carry the weight of the world upon our shoulders, coping with the various challenges life provides. As stressful as that may become, we firmly plant our feet and push forward, refusing to let ourselves be crushed beneath the strain. However, for some the fear of getting crushed - in the literal sense - presents far more strain than is bearable. Barophobia is the abnormal fear of being crushed beneath objects, and can make life extremely difficult for the person suffering from this phobia.

At St. Louis' The Darkness, a barophobiac may find themselves weighted down by their fear as they travel through this critically-acclaimed haunt. Larger-than-life sets and props create a truly overpowering experience, as giant monsters loom overhead. A free-moving swamp house, boilers, a freezer, barrels crashing down from overhead, and a graveyard rife with tombstones are just a few of the potentially crushing items to be found in this awesome haunted attraction, which utilizes film studio quality environments to enhance the fright. The threats even come from the organic level, as giant monster plants spring up from underground to menace visitors.

Speaking of underground...during the 50s and 60s, the Cold War introduced the world to the very realistic fear of radiation. As the American public held its breath waiting for one side or the other to push that fatal button, bomb shelters sprang up (or down, more accurately) in the backyards and basements of suburban homes nationwide. Hollywood embraced this fear, turning out movie after movie depicting the horrific outcome of man's dalliance with nuclear energy. And while we still live in the shadow of nuclear threat to some degree, it no longer has the stranglehold on our sense of security it once did. Except in the case of Radiophobiacs...

Radiophobia is an overwhelming fear of radiation. This is not exactly an irrational fear, as radiation does pose significant risks from overexposure, but it can cross over into abnormal when it begins to limit one's ability to function. X-ray machines or microwave ovens, while commonplace in today's world, can seem rather threatening to the radiophobiac.  The specter of genetic mutation brought on by radiation can cause tremendous dread. Deep within Creepyworld Screampark, such mutations run amok, as living reminders of the trauma man's folly can create. Paranormal experiments have gone horribly wrong, producing terrifying beasts which stalk human prey...

 Finding refuge in an underground bomb shelter would not be an option for someone suffering from Taphophobia - an irrational fear of being buried alive. Primarily deriving from a fear of being incorrectly pronounced dead and laid to rest, this phobia has even prompted taphophobiacs who could afford it to  arrange for the construction of a safety coffin, to include glass lids for observation, ropes to bells for signaling, and breathing pipes for survival until rescued. It can prompt one to avoid potentially dangerous situations altogether, as to remove any possible threat of being trapped beneath the surface.

Lemp Brewery Haunted House, housed several levels beneath the streets of St. Louis in the caves and caverns below Lemp Brewery, would pose a formidable threat to a taphophobiac. Boarding an elevator, visitors are lowered into a subterranean world inhabited by REAL ghosts and spirits that have called this place home for over 100 years. St. Louis' only real haunted house dares you to descend into one of America's scariest supernatural destinations - cut off from the surface world and the security of easy escape, any and all will experience a fear of being buried alive .

Learn more at scarefest.com

Discover an entire nation of thrilling haunted attractions at www.AmericaHaunts.com

Headless Horseman leaves visitors screaming their heads off in fear!

 While the phobias of many would cause them to lose their head, an irrational fear of decapitation is a phobia CAUSED by losing your head. The prospect of a beheading is probably not so attractive to anybody, one would imagine, but to one suffering from a decapitation phobia the mere thought of such a threat could induce severe psychological trauma. Simple everyday items like a ceiling fan or clothesline (let alone the occasional battleaxe) can reduce this particular phobiac to a state of panic. There's probably a little bit of Ichabod Crane in each and every one of us - metaphorically speaking - as the thought of losing our head in any given situation could lead to unbearable embarrassment. Yet for some, that fear is all too real as the trauma of living in fear of actual decapitation looms - well - overhead...Learn more at headlesshorseman.com

At New York's Headless Horseman Hayride and Haunted House, visitors lose their heads on a regular basis as a one mile hayride, a labyrinth style corn maze, and five professionally created haunted houses incorporate forty-five acres of the Historic Haunted Hudson Valley into a frightening experience that The New York Daily News calls "#1 on the planet!". Featuring over one hundred actors and a staff of effects and makeup professionals, Headless Horseman expands on the already-infamous haunted activity of the Haunted Hudson Valley with a top-notch attraction that has become a Halloween tradition for thousands every season.

Celebrating its 19th year in 2011, Headless Horseman utilizes elaborate sets and original props in order to create a truly unique Halloween festival atmosphere. Naturally landscaped woodlands, surreal ponds, and colonial buildings lend authenticity to the legends of this region of America well-known for supernatural history and sightings. Hailed by American Airlines Magazine as the "#1 Hayride in America", there is no better haunted attraction at which to lose your head.

Figuratively speaking, of course...

Discover an entire nation of thrilling haunted attractions at www.americahaunts.com

Dream Reapers - a wicked scents of fear!

An irrational aversion to scents can be powerfully overwhelming - it is basically impossible to avoid odors in day to day life. A person suffering from Olfactophobia - the fear of smells - can be confronted by their dread on a fairly regular basis. For the unfortunate olfactophobiac, even the most routine daily activities can push them to the brink of sanity. Coincidentally, one has to wonder how much influence one phobia has on another. For instance, would an olfactophobiac also suffer from Swinophobia - the fear of pigs? Swine  are not known for their pleasant aroma, after all, and the prospect of exposure to pigs (or pig-like creatures) would certainly cause someone suffering from a fear of smells great distress. Curious...

There's no denying that our sense of smell lends itself heavily to our imaginations, and nowhere is this more evident than at Melrose Park, Illinois' Dream Reapers Haunted House. A 14,000 square foot attraction featuring more than twenty-two rooms, Dream Reapers mixes classic scare techniques and actor-based entertainment with state of the art animatronics and an additional element not typically used in the haunt industry: scents based on the theme of each room. Imagine a cemetery scene permeating with the odor of fresh dirt. Or a forest environment emanating the strong smells of pine trees and rotting wood. Enhancing the experience considerably, the addition of scents brings the visitor even deeper into the atmosphere of the scene and creates even more of the interactive illusion that makes a great haunt experience truly memorable.

Dream Reapers has taken the concept of haunted house scents one step further, and offers scents for sale to those wishing to take their haunt to the next level. Haunted attractions are a form of entertainment that relies heavily on its visitors' primary senses, and the introduction of aromas and odors to the sights and sounds of the typical haunted house  ensures an even more fulfilling experience. Pity the poor olfactophobiac who stumbles upon this nightmare of the nostrils...

Learn more about Dream Reapers and their line of Sinister Scents at dreamreapers.com

Discover an entire nation of thrilling haunted attractions at www.americahaunts.com

Leporiphobia is an abnormal, debilitating, and often paralyzing fear of evil bunny rabbits. And if you’re looking for the baddest Bunny in the country, you need to take a trip to The ScareHouse in Pittsburgh, PA.

ScareHouse Creative Director Scott Simmons says the inspiration for their most popular character came not only from Leporiphobia and movies like Donnie Darko, but from ...Furries! Simmons says “The national AnthroCon convention is always held here in Pittsburgh, and I do love and respect everyone involved in that lifestyle. It’s always great fun when they visit Pittsburgh.

“But, I did find myself wondering about the contrast of seeing these big animal costumes in otherwise civilian settings. There’s also something creepy about the frozen smile and lack of real eye movement or contact. So we felt that what really scares people is contrast, that incongruity. You see a guy in a clean and colorful bunny costume in the daylight, and it’s cute ... put a guy in a dirty bunny suit in dark basement, carrying an axe ... and that's just wrong.”

This homicidal rabbit runs amok in the halls of The ScareHouse every Halloween season, but you can also follow The ScareHouse Bunny all year long on twitter:

http://twitter.com/scarehousebunny 

The ScareHouse in Pittsburgh, PA is ranked as one of “America’s Scariest Halloween Attractions” by Travel Channel and as one of America’s best haunted houses by AOL, Forbes, Fangoria, and Haunted Attraction magazine.

The ScareHouse offers three haunts for just one price: The Forsaken, Delirium 3-D, and new for 2011: Pittsburgh Zombies. “Pittsburgh’s Ultimate Haunted House” is located just minutes from downtown and open on select dates from September 23rd through October 30th. Visit  www.scarehouse.com

for tickets, directions, and more information.

Don't be caught alone at San Antonio's 13th Floor!

Of all man's fears, perhaps one of the most rational is the fear of being alone. Humans are congenial creatures, often achieving their best through interaction with others. We are not meant to live a solitary life, and isolation from others can often feel like a death sentence. Food, water, oxygen, and companionship - these comprise the essential nutrients of a healthy life.

Imagine then, this rational fear unleashed to extreme levels. Autophobia - the irrational fear of being alone - can leave one feeling utterly isolated regardless of who may be near. Even in a crowded room, the autophobiac may feel completely, hopelessly alone, often to the point of self-loathing. Dreadfully painful, to say the least. Desperate, vulnerable and helpless, an autophobiac would no doubt be pushed to the limits if this fear were to manifest itself within the darkened halls of 13th Floor Haunted House, San Antonio's largest and longest haunted attraction!

Descending into the darkened heart of a 105 year old building, a secret 13th floor lies in wait, home to lost souls and restless spirits. Rumored to be the haunting ground of an unfortunate group whose lives were stolen far too soon, this eerie building briefly served as a hotel in the 1940s for passengers traveling through historic Sunset Station. Today it acts as the living embodiment of the superstition surrounding the number 13, and its mysterious legacy of being omitted from buildings by cautious designers. Odd occurrences and strange sightings abound here, taunting the living to enter and explore. It goes without saying that "safety in numbers" truly applies in this environment, as visitors take comfort in knowing that they are protected by those who have undertaken this venture with them, or at the very least will not go out alone if the dark powers of the supernatural triumph.

Yet even surrounded by familiar faces, it is all too easy to feel isolated within 13th Floor. Confronted with psychological horrors beyond imagination, human minds never feel more alone and detached than when our inner fears and dreads are laid bare before us. No amount of reassurance can erase the thought of how terrifying it is to be left alone, to fend for ourselves against our own irrational psyche. How ironic, then, that the pitiful autophobiac, lost and alone, might actually find solace here - of all places - among countless other lonely souls searching for a final place of rest...

Learn more at 13thfloorsanantonio.com

Discover an entire nation of thrilling haunted attractions at www.americahaunts.com