Unlock the horror: Go behind the scenes at Netherworld, 1 of America’s top haunts

STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — With new monsters, new scares and new haunts, and with the Halloween on the horizon, it’s time for a trip to Netherworld. Named the No. 1 Haunt of All Time by industry expert The Hauntfinder General, Netherworld offers two haunted attractions, a carnival midway, escape games, and more to thrill visitors.

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Netherworld Haunted House With new monsters, new scares and new haunts, and with the Halloween on the horizon, it’s time for a trip to Netherworld. (Nelson Hicks)

The first attraction, Wake the Dead, features the Lords of the Netherworld, who have summoned an army of spectral horrors to turn the world into a realm of shadows. Scare-seekers will encounter vampires, ghosts, and zombies in this terrifying experience.

In the second haunt, clowns make their creepy return. In Mr. Grendel’s Birthday Party of Horrors, Mr. Grendel, an ancient, flesh-eating ogre disguised as a clown, leads a band of savage jesters in a battle with The Boogeyman—The Lord of Nightmares. Brave visitors will face monsters straight out of nightmares, including demented clowns.

But the real madness happens backstage about an hour before showtime. More than 100 people—actors, makeup artists, and managers—rush to get ready each night.

“We hire a huge amount of haunt actors every year and when they arrive, they go through a huge process,” Netherworld co-creator Ben Armstrong told WSB-TV’s Nelson Hicks. “First, they go to casting. They go to makeup. They go to costuming. They go to the mask department. They go to the armory. They go to all these different things to process them, to make them into terrifying characters, just to entertain our customers here at Netherworld.”

Armstrong and co-creator Billy Messina hire 400-500 people each Halloween season. Most serve as actors, while others handle tasks like photography, parking, and food services.

On busy nights, more than 100 actors head behind the scenes to prepare. Actors head to casting to learn their roles, then visit makeup artists who bring their characters to life. Some pick up masks—Netherworld is home to hundreds—while others stop by the armory and costume department.

“This is Netherworld’s 28th season,” Armstrong said. “We’ve been collecting costumes and masks and props for 28 years. So, a lot of the masks and costumes don’t make it that (long), but we’ll recreate iconic characters.”

Although some fan-favorite characters and props return each year, the haunts change drastically. The work starts immediately after the season ends in November.

“The minute the season ends, we’re back at it,” Armstrong said. “We’re coming up with new characters, new themes, new special effects and new escape rooms. So, a talented crew works on these things year-round. It’s non-stop. And that’s the thing. We always try and do something different because the true fans that come back every year, they notice everything and we want to give them exactly what they want.”

Netherworld is open every night through Nov. 3 and on Nov. 8-9. The Netherworld escape games are open year-round.

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