Strange Things afoot at The Haunted Benjamin Ranch

Back in the days when the west was young, hundreds of frontiersmen and cowboys traveled through the ranch on the Santa Fe Trail. For some, this is where their journey would end.

Between now and then the ranch has thrived, entertaining the locals of Kansas City with parties and rodeos. Until recently...

Recently they've decided to scare the place up on Halloween. They've turned the Benjamin Ranch into the Haunted Benjamin Ranch and it looks like they do a fun job.

Between The Haunted Stables and the Stockpen Cage Maze they have the haunt Mazes covered.....and then throw in a haunted hay ride (which Ive recently become interested in due to a local attraction) and a freak show you've got a good event....especially for a first time venue.

Granted, they do have quite the silly promotional video. It starts off pretty good, but then becomes down home wacky, but it shows off some of the things in store, including lots of footage of the Dusty Cadaver Freakshow (and what appears to be the nail in the nose trick.....ugh.....)



Doesn't really set the tone for a scary event, but it certainly does set the tone for a family event, which The Haunted Benjamin Ranch promotes itself as.

They also showcase their scarier side of the with this video, a walk thru of the Haunted Stables haunt attraction.....still a little silly but genuine and everyone seems to be having a good time!



Everything you could possibly ever want to know about the event (including directions, Hours, and Ticket prices, plus an FAQ page about event specifics) can be found at their OFFICIAL WEBSITE and their Youtube Page

So if you happen to be in the Kansas City, MO area you should stop by and give these guys some support!

My STEEEEEEEW!

The Dead Walk at Nightfall!

Halloween is right around the corner and with it comes a few Weird West themed Haunt Attractions!

First up is Nightfall which has been around for Twenty Years and are a very popular Haunt in the Tucson area. Every Halloween the Old Tucson Studios turns into the town of Nightfall, ruled by the evil Dr. Jebediah Hyde who does twisted experiments at his Ghoulliard Institue.

The official word is this:

Since the beginning, the evil Dr. Jebediah Hyde has ruled Nightfall, incessantly torturing the inmates of the Goulliard Asylum for the Perpetually Insane in the name of “scientific research.” He overcame a recent challenge to his authority by the evil Isabel and her army of zombies and restored to himself to his rightful place as ruler of Nightfall. Now, it’s back to business as usual in this Twentieth Year of Terror … or is it?

The event has 4 different shows, and 4 Haunted attractions that range from Ghost train and a Haunted Mine.

For Official details, ticket pricing, dates, and the story for the whole event at their OFFICIAL WEBSITE.

and for a little taste of the event, there's this:



Also, look out for more stuff on the Old Tucson Studios in the months ahead. Its going to be the site for the Wild, Wild West Steampunk Convention...but more on that later!

...beware the ghost of Jedediah Smith

If you happen to live in or near the Irvine area, there is a Weird West Haunted House Maze that you should know about. Boot Hill is celebrating it's tenth year scarin' folks and from the looks of things they are ready for ten times ten more!

The official word is this:

BOOT HILL rises from the fog for it's 10th year to inhabit the residence at 16 Goldenrod. The unearthly spirits from the old west town of Bridgewood will materialize for SEVEN haunting nights, transforming the residence at 16 Goldenrod into the old church and cemetery that once occupied the land.

Come if you dare...but beware the ghost of Jedediah Smith, he has been known to roam through the decaying grounds of Boot Hill.

If you are planning on going, Halloween is their last night (which is tonight), so get there early to avoid the crowds. Admission is completely free, but they do take donations for the Children's Hospital of Orange County.

Also, you can check out their website which has pictures, dates, Directions, and the back story for the Haunt and the Legend of Jedediah Smith! If anyone goes, let me know how it was!

I hope ya'all have a fun and safe All Hallows Eve!

Incident at the old Red Hill Mining Co....

Last year, in Tustin California, a bunch of folks got together and uncovered a forgotten (or buried) part of Tustin's past. You see, around 1890, there was a incident at the Old Red Hills Mine. A bunch of miners went crazy and.....well.....a lot of people got hurt...in fact, they died. So afterward all traces of what happened were erased from the record books and forgotten, from History.

That's the premise for the Red Hill Mining Co. Massacre, a walk through Haunted House that was put together last year down in Tustin. I wish I had heard of it sooner, I could have told everyone who is in the area to go. It sounds like a semi professional haunt....and from what I can gather off the website, it was free AND they gave out free pulled Pork sandwiches, Mmmmm :) Sounded like a spectacular night!

Here is a short video from their website about the history of the Haunt. I loe the soundtrack, 3:10 to Yuma is one of my personal favorites:



Their website is chalk full of History, some pictures, and information about the Haunt.

Also, with the Halloween season in full swing, if anyone knows of any Weird West Haunted Houses going on anywhere in the world, please let me know and Ill post about them this week!

"I'll be your Huckle - BOO - Berry!"

I've been trying to get to Tombstone, AZ for a while now and, quite by mistake, I found one more reason to go! They've opened an attraction called Tombstone Ghosts and Legends. Its a corpse ridden tour of Tombstone's history focusing on its famous killings and death stuff. Its hosted by the ghost of Doc Holiday and I have to say, it may be cheesy but it most definitely looks fun. I happen to be a big fan of tourist-y attractions, and if you add ghosts...I'm there!

(And if its Old West themed, with Weird West elements...I'm DOUBLY there!)

Here's how the city of Tombstone describes it:

Experience Tombstone’s past like never before!
Our CGI Ghost or Doc Holliday tells the actual history of
Tombstone using Hollywood special effects & surprises.


The Ghost Tour was created by Halloween Productions, which seem to specialize in doing a lot for very little, and it certainly shows. For such a small town, with probably not a lot of money to spend on such things, this is most definitely looks to be worth a visit.

If you can stand it, someone on Youtube brought their camera phone into the attraction and filmed it. The video isn't all that good, and the commentary is annoying....but it's a full walk-thru of the attraction and gives you a good idea of what to expect inside. That can be found here.

Or you can keep the surprises a surprise and stick with the overview of the attraction, its your choice, Pard!

...Its Only a Trick of the Light...

The Haunted Mansion goes Weird West at Disneyland Paris.

Based on the uber-popular Haunted Mansion attraction at the Stateside (and Tokyo) Disney parks, Phantom Manor takes the the dark ride attraction and pluses it into a great Old West ghost story. While at the same time it tries to inject a plot that isn't there in the other parks......with limited results.

The Bride, while a staple of the attic scenes in the HMs, is in the forefront here, as the sympathetic heroine trying to escape, and save us, from the evil Phantom.

Originally, Vincent Price narrated as the Phantom, this attractions "Ghost Host", acting as our tour guide into the dank, dark halls of the crumbling long abandoned mansion. However, Price's English narration was replaced fairly soon after the attraction opened with actor Gérard Chevalier's more region friendly French narration.

The music by John Debney is gorgeous. Debney took the Haunted Mansion music, and expanded it into full lush orchestral score that really turns this almost into a tragic operetta, including scenes of the Bride (and other characters) accompanying the music with juxtaposed singing.

The layout of the ride is the same as Disneyland's, with a tour around the most haunted parts of the manor...however the one place it deviates is the Graveyard...and instead takes guests into Phantom Canyon, a literal "Ghost Town" inhabited by the spirits of residents who died in a devastating earthquake that destroyed the whole town....of course, like always, singing and merriment are present.

Here is a really well edited ride thru I found, Enjoy!