Stepping Out

Tales from the crypt

It's haunting season, so beware of what lurks nearby

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Just when you think you know what happens at Nassau Coliseum and its environs — concerts, sporting events — it turns out you really don’t everything about the recently refurbished arena.
Some terrifying creatures, known as the “League of the Undead,” are skulking around there this month. They’ve settled into Blood Manor, which took up residence at the Coliseum last week, ready to haunt Long Islanders through Oct. 31.
The creepy phantasmagoria that is Blood Manor, known to horrify those who dare enter its doors in lower Manhattan’s Hudson Square neighborhood, debuts here this Halloween season. Zombies, chainsaw wielding murderers, bloody ghosts, perhaps a mental patient or two, or a werewolf, even a clown, inhabit “Crypts of the Coliseum,” waitng to terrorize all who dare cross their paths.
Double in size of the original Blood Manor, which is now in its 14th season, visitors will find themselves enveloped by an overwhelming sensory experience as they navigate the 10,000 square foot maze of dimly lit corridors, chambers and hidden places.
Each room has a different theme, all filled with gore. In one room, rotting flesh is pouring out of a refrigerator. In another — the old morgue — a corpse (rotting of course) on a table awaits passersby, with other corpses popping up at any given moment.

“The effect is one of shock and awe,” according to those involved with the haunting. “You turn every corner and there are creatures everywhere.”
These macabre beings — 30 in all — are in constant motion, ratcheting up the fear factor, all leading to an explosive 3D conclusion.
“Blood Manor has a great following,” says Nick Vaerewyck, NYCB Live’s senior director of programming. “Many people go down to their haunting every year [in Manhattan]. We were blown away by the all-immersive experience when we visited.”
It’s a formula that takes the classic haunted house experience into the 21st century, ratcheting up the scares with high-tech UV lighting, animatronics, and gore-filled state-of-the art props.
All in the action happens nearly completely in the dark. Visitors can’t even feel their way around since there’s no sense of depth, along with constant bombardment by the strobe lighting.
And just when you think you’ve witnessed all the frights, there’s that explosive conclusion involving some menacing clowns that lead everyone into a disturbingly absurd nightmare, enhanced by 3D glasses.
“The floor is popping, the colors are popping, it’s a cool experience,” Vaerewyck says.
In essence, for those who enjoy a good scare, there’s something for everyone.
“Go in and see it,” says Vaerewyck. “We’re excited to bring this haunting experience here and hope everyone is ready for a scare.”

Blood Manor’s Crypts of the Coliseum
When: Now through Oct. 31, 7 p.m.; Sundays at 6 p.m. Not recommended for children under 14. $30 general admission, $40 express entry; available at www.ticketmaster.com, www.nycblive.com or (800) 745-3000.
Where: Nassau Coliseum, Hempstead Turnpike, Uniondale.