# Hell Houses



## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

In a nearby town some local church organization is running a Hell House. I found out about these last year. A Hell House consists of a group of horrific scenes within a type of haunted house. The customer walks through a sequence of scenes designed to create terror and revulsion. The last scene is different; it is typically a portrayal of heaven. The visitors are then asked to accept salvation by repenting of their sins and trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Scenes promote certain conservative Christian beliefs. Some hell houses are disguised to resemble conventional secular haunted houses. The customer only realizes that they have a religious theme after they have bought their ticket and gone part of the way through the scenes.

Typical scenes are:


A realistic reenactment of the murder of Cassie Bernall, a teenager victim at the Columbine High School in 1999-APR. She was allegedly asked whether she believed in God, answered yes, and was murdered on the spot. The incident never happened.

A person being sacrificed during a Satanic ritual.

Women undergoing very bloody late-term abortions, complete with screaming, lots of blood, and particularly insensitive, uncaring health providers.

Gays and lesbians being tortured in hell for all eternity because of their behavior while they were alive on earth.

The dangers of "dabbling" in the occult and becoming demon possessed.

Personal tragedies arising from pre-marital sex.

Disastrous tragedies and loss of life resulting from drunk driving.

A man having an argument with his wife and is later seduced by his secretary.

Witches pressuring a depressed teen to murder his fellow students.

A 9/11 ground zero scene.

Anyone been to something like this?


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## Aelwyn (Jul 7, 2008)

I've heard of them. There is one church here that does one every Hallowe'en since I was in high school. I think they're tacky and actually infringe on the Human Rights code, almost bordering to hate speech.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I've never heard of such a thing until now, but it doesn't surprise me that someone would take this approach. Personally, I think the use of fear to "convert" people to any belief, whether religious or political, is offensive and just wrong.


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

Was going to go in last saturday (curioiusity got the best of me), but after we got there it was a 45 minute wait. They said it took 15 minutes to go through in groups of 5. There were 3 groups ahead of us. There's no way I could run my haunt 5 at a time every 15 minutes. 

The hell house is in a small rural area and nothing available to do for 45 minutes except hang out in the parking lot. One guy (working there) said it was worth the wait, "It'll freak you out."....not to impressed with what we saw, I opted to go back and work some more on my own haunt.


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## beelce (Jul 21, 2007)

I really do not like anyone pushing their beliefs on me or anyone else.


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## Cassie7 (Sep 16, 2007)

I've read and seen vid's of them. They are nothing less than religious brain washing scare tactics. I hold them in the utmost contempt.

I think the one scene that stands most out in my mind was of a very realistic looking barbaric abortion scene using a coat hanger with blood squirting and prop infant screaming. A woman attending was holding her little girls head forcing her to watch the scene. It was the most disgusting thing I have ever seen. To me, that's child abuse.

These Hell Houses run with no problem yet I have read news articles year after year about people getting arrested, fined or just plain given grief for things like 'hanging' scenes in their haunts.

The double standard is ridiculous. Just this week, I read about a guy that got arrested and fined 30 day suspended sentence, $100 and 75 hr community service because he was charring/distressing a cross looking wood frame he was prepping for a scarecrow. Some neighbor I guess read that as cross burning.

Bleughhhh...don't get me started.


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## NecroBones (Feb 10, 2006)

It sounds pretty manipulative to me. I'd demand a refund if I were tricked into that.


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## remylass (Sep 18, 2008)

This kind of thing just enrages me, but it also makes me sad. I cannot believe a church would do something like that.


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## Lilly (Jun 13, 2006)

Sounds like a tract come to life.


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## cindyt7 (Aug 7, 2007)

Aelwyn said:


> I've heard of them. There is one church here that does one every Hallowe'en since I was in high school. I think they're tacky and actually infringe on the Human Rights code, almost bordering to hate speech.


Wow, I can't believe how mad this just made me. I've never heard of them. The gay/lesbian thing seems like hate speech to me as well. And the High School girl one, totally unacceptable. What a bunch of *&%#$%^ #$$^%&*# !!!!!

My daughters came home with a little book one year, similar issues, not nearly as mean spirited or graphic. I actually knocked on a few doors and tried to find the house but couldn't. It's prob better that I didn't...what would I have really said that could have been productive to someone who gives those books to children?

Crazies are going to make me mad enough to need a drink and it's only Tuesday


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## drevilstein (Sep 17, 2013)

There is a church in my town which runs a scare attraction called "Judgement Journey". It's all about what will happen to you if you don't convert to Christianity and are left behind on Judgement Day. They take great pride in how many people they scare into salvation each year.


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## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

I'd like to run a Hell-themed haunt someday, but all jazzy and campy like an antique cartoon or goofy old musical. It'd be a blast to design and would have a great look. Then it occurred to me that such a thing could also be a hilarious jab at Hell Houses, which is further temptation. I'd want to be careful not to offend regular, non-crazy religious people though.


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## Will Reid (Sep 2, 2013)

xx


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## BioHazardCustoms (Aug 5, 2009)

There is a church right down the street from me who decided after I put up my display that they are going to run a Hell House. I have candy and a giant dragon head, though. Wanna bet who gets more visitors? LOL


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## dudeamis (Oct 16, 2011)

I do a Trunk or Treat set up at my mom's church every year, if they did a Hell House I would stop right away. Fortunately her church seems to be more about community outreach than proselytizing and evangelism.


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## dusty588 (Oct 8, 2006)

I've heard of this before, but only from King of the Hill! lol. Check out YouTube, as I'm sure you can find the episode on there!


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## FrozenPumpkins (Jul 5, 2009)

I've heard of these before, but the "Gays/lesbians burning in hell" one is new and incredibly offensive to me. For those of us who really understand the holiday, it's about things beyond our imagination, often of the frightening type. Suggesting that normal, acceptable parts of society are just as scary is a bastardization of the holiday at best and hate speech at worst.

</soapbox>

All that said, I know there are some churches that hold perfectly normal Halloween and fall activities. Hopefully this will remain a limited, unpopular thing.


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## Plastic Ninja (Sep 30, 2010)

It's sad really, they're so good at horror. But they drop to stuff about abortion and HIV/AIDS, which is not only offensive, it's just plain tasteless. And I don't see a ton of people mad over it either. If someone used abortion in a haunt (please don't), they would get their house set on fire the first week. But this is for Jesus, so it's cool. 

No, no it isn't. It's really not.


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## goneferal (Sep 8, 2010)

RoxyBlue said:


> I've never heard of such a thing until now, but it doesn't surprise me that someone would take this approach. Personally, I think the use of fear to "convert" people to any belief, whether religious or political, is offensive and just wrong.


I've heard of these. Gross stuff indeed.


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## Offwhiteknight (Sep 17, 2008)

BioHazardCustoms said:


> There is a church right down the street from me who decided after I put up my display that they are going to run a Hell House. I have candy and a giant dragon head, though. Wanna bet who gets more visitors? LOL


Sounds like a successful haunt to me! So good it makes the church react to it? That's awesome!


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## Sblanck (Sep 13, 2007)

I live in the south and Hell houses are pretty common down here. I refuse to go to any of them and they are such a slap in the face to the true message. Thinking about it now they are pretty close to the same tactics those westboro baptist crazies use when they protest soldiers funerals.


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## 870haunter (Aug 10, 2013)

Back when I was about 10 years old a friend of mine asked me to go with his church group to visit a Hell House. I was of a different denomination than help (not naming either bc it's not relevant), but I went thinking I was going to have good time with friends, and the house itself was entertaining wasn't as extreme as some of the disgusting ideas in other post. The kicker was after they took us to the "Heaven" room we were herded in a room where a energetic man with a Bible ask us if "you have the Lord in your hearts to raise your hand". Well there is no good way of answering that question which is a trap and upon raising your hand you are taken to the side alone and they ask you a series of questions that only have one right answer and ask you to pray sign a paper and say you are now saved into this faith. Now this all happens quickly and with no warning. After leaving when your young you feel guilty about all of it 1) it's not your particular faith and to some religions you have just "forsaken your assembly" which is a sin 2) you feel uneasy about religious leaders after having your trust shaken like that. It was the second issue there plus other disagreements I've had with church doctrine that pushed me away from organized religion. So I am 100% against Hell Houses they take advantage of young minds and guilt and scare them into submitting to their propaganda. I own and operate a Haunted House and we are in the business to entertain, Hell House promote everything wrong in the religious world today.. Sorry for my rant those are a sore subject


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## Zurgh (Dec 21, 2009)

I like the name, 'Hell House'... it has a nice ring to it... too bad they aren't as cool as the name...


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## Mattimus (Oct 23, 2013)

We have quite a few Hell Houses in Texas... luckily we have a large amount of legitimate and truly frightening Haunts to balance them out.


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## Hobz (Oct 14, 2013)

I think read somewhere that we're not supposed to be discussing or debating religion on this forum, but since Joker started it. . .

I'm a Christian and I have mixed feelings about these kind of event. I understand how it can be justified in the minds of those putting them on. If you believe that Hell is real and that everyone who doesn't know Christ is going to end up there, then it makes sense to try to warn people. On the other hand, if your description is indeed accurate, (I've never been to one of these myself) it does sound like a scare tactic and falls short in regard to convey God's love, which is a crucial part of the message. I think there are far more effective ways to evangelize. 

A few years ago, I participated in a church theatrical production called "Eternity" which has received similar criticism about being a scare tactic. It wasn't a Halloween event, but it seems relevant. It differed from what you've described in a few key ways. For starters, it was OBVIOUSLY a church production and you'd have to be pretty thick to not realize what the message was going to be. It seems pretty deceitful for a church to hide their association with an event in the hopes of ambushing non-believers, especially if you're charging them for admission. Another big difference was that the version of the play I took part in mostly steered clear of those uber hot button issues of abortion and homosexuallity. Even if you believe those things are sins, I think that you just end up pushing people away when you put it so bluntly. Jesus didn't mince words when it came to calling people out on their sins, but he spoke the truth IN LOVE, something that seems pretty hard to do when you're also depicting them being tortured in Hell.

As for Cassie7's story about a girl being forced by her mother to watch a scene where an abortion is performed with a coat hanger, I also find that disturbing. I believe that abortion is wrong and want to instill that in my children as well. But I would never allow, and certainly not force, them to watch something so graphic and traumatizing. 

So, as I said, I have mixed feelings about these events. I understand the churches motives, but feel they showed an incredible lack of sensitivity and compassion in the way they chose to relay their message.


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## Will Reid (Sep 2, 2013)

xx


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## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

I guess the ultimate idea is to plant shocking imagery in the heads of sinners, so they'll think twice about sinning? But HH imagery is only going to shock people who aren't familiar with haunted houses. I strongly suspect that's people from the same church or neighboring churches of a similar mindset. So they're almost literally preaching to the choir. Outsiders lured in by a haunted house won't find an offensively ignorant depiction of an abortion clinic to be more gruesome than the average pro haunt.

What's funny is that there are countless churches out there who sponsor regular ol' haunted houses with ghosts and mad scientists and the gamut. On the whole, I suspect that kind of fun family event benefits a church way more than any Hell House. If you want to touch people who go to haunted houses, make an awesome haunted house. Hell, if you're determined to keep it religious, you've got the whole Bible to mine for monsters and horrors and scary scenes. Don't preach to the unwilling - be awesome and make them willing.


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