Kicking off the 15th year of fear at the celebrated Fright Dome at Circus Circus pulled out all the stops and welcomed press, celebrities, and guests into the fog-shrouded world within. This hot pink beacon of Halloween horrors houses 6 haunted houses, 7 scare zones, a 4D theater, and hundreds of monsters waiting for victims. Of course, all of the most popular rides at this regional fun zone are up and running during the event as well giving guests who want to hit everything no option but to keep busy.
Black Carpet Arrivals
We began the night talking with the parade of invited guests on the black carpet before the dome opened its doors. Among the people we spoke to were Hot Chocolate, Sarah Nicklin, and the man behind the scares, Jason Egan.
Rides
Canyon Blaster and El Loco headline the roster of rides operating during Fright Dome. There are also the flat rides like Disk-O, Inverter, Chaos and Slingshot that will twist and twirl guests looking for a visceral thrill while taking a break from the haunted houses. Pretty much everything is open aside from the children’s rides.
Haunted Houses
Lights Out
Separated from everything and everyone – all you have for survival is yourself and a flashlight.
Hands down the best haunted house at Fright Dome this year is Lights Out. Handed a small Gantom Live flashlight, we are made to wander in darkness. Winding through a maze of metal doors and clanging set pieces, we occasionally encounter haunting, doll-faced figures. Obviously the goal is to get out alive butthey won’t let you out so easy. In one of the coolest finales I have seen in a haunted house in years, we meet the three characters responsible for our perilous journey and get a good jump too. I would also have to say that this is probably the best use of the Gantom flash lights I have seen all season as the handheld light pulses and flickers throughout the experience, in a huge variety of ways, keeping you nice and distracted for the monsters hiding in the dark.
Get in line for this one and don’t leave until you have made it through. Then, after you have survived, do everything else.
Zombie City – NEW
The infestation began 15 years ago on the Las Vegas Strip and magnified in 2012…
Photo courtesy Fright Dome
One of the more lengthy mazes, Zombie City delivered on both of its promises. We navigated a perilous gauntlet of zombies in search of safety. Of course, there was little safety to be had as the talent were lunging from every corner, blood dripping from their mouths, hungry for more.
Chainsaw Massacre
In celebration of 15 years of terrifying the masses a Fright Dome favorite is back!
For many, the shrill peel of a chainsaw motor is enough to send them screaming. Returning for the 15th year of Fright Dome is Chainsaw Massacre. Of course we have the garden variety hillbillies bent on cannibalistic ends as we make our way through a maze of chain link and tarps, hoping to get out alive. The talent in this maze was having a particularly good time with their redneck roles and they were a hoot to watch.
Hex
Hidden deep within the Adventuredome in the mountainside, chants and spells abound in this backwoods lair of voodoo.
Photo courtesy Fright Dome
We made our way through Hex and had a good enough time avoiding any long-lasting curses. While enjoyable, I would have to say that they could do with about 50% less hanging from the ceiling as I found it hard to enjoy the sets and the actors with so much in the way. Regardless I had a great time making my way through here.
Happy Hell-idays
Fright Dome mastermind Jason Egan loves Halloween but we cannot forget about the other festive days of the year.
The next maze you can’t miss at Fright Dome is Happy Hell-idays. There is something wickedly subversive about taking cheerful holidays and lacing them with a poisonous tinge of terror. Here we wander through a guided gallery tour through darker versions of festive dates including Easter, 4th of July, St. Patty’s Day, and of course my personal favorite, a twisted Christmas.
Killer Clowns 4D
Enter the neon, luminescent world of crazed clowns in this nightmarish world of painted freaks and jesters gone wickedly wild!
Photo courtesy Fright Dome
I have a soft spot for the Chroma-Depth 3D mazes so this was a good time. Donning a pair of 3D glasses we navigate the dominion of the clown. While clowns are the devil and should not even be allowed to be a thing, the glasses make the neon sets, costumes and actors throb with color to a disorienting degree.
Scare Zones
The Adventuredome is gigantic. So much so that there are a total of seven scare zones.
Photo courtesy Fright Dome
Infectious Point (Our favorite)
DO NOT ENTER! This is the center of the contamination.
Marionette Madness – New
The puppets have risen up and are out for revenge! There are no more strings…
New World Disorder
Chaos in the streets… buildings are burning and looters are everywhere.
Clown Havoc
The clowns have taken over the Circus… let the chaos begin!
Fright Club
A nightly rave, don’t skip the entertainment on stage or the monster party at the end of the night!
Freak Show
Come one, come all, step right up and enter a world of the unique, the odd and the strangely talented!
After experiencing the haunt for the first time I can say I definitely had a great time. Probably the best bet for the general consumer is the $61.95 Fast Pass ticket. This will let you skip past the lines, hit all the mazes, and have plenty of time to hit the coasters too.
My take away here is that this is a regional haunt with a lot of heart. These actors love what they are doing and it shows. Congratulations on Fright Dome’s 15th year and to Jason Egan for continuing to bring the scares in Vegas. Nice work. See you next year.
