Freaks & Fiends, Demons & Haints

The Bluff City has a long, tortured history of hauntings by restless souls who wander our streets and homes seeking eternal peace — or maybe just mystified mortals ripe for having the bejeezus scared out of them. This Halloween season, they all come creeping out of the woodwork, and if you’re looking for a terrifyingly terrific time, there’s sure to be an option for you and your friends — or fiends, as the case may be. Our Flyer staff has scoured the local demonsphere for places where the veil grows thin and the undead walk among us, questing for treats, sweets, and novelty cocktails. If you’re hoping to join them, look no further. Below are the finest, freakiest, and most frightening destinations for horrific fun in the city and beyond. But beware: Once you pass through the veil to the realm of the undead, you may never want to come back (depending on how Election Day goes).

The Haunted Maze

When he started it in 2001, Justin Taylor had no idea that The Mid-South Corn Maze would be such an enduring project. “This is the 26th season,” he says. “We had no concept that it would go for more than just even a season. It’s been a surprise year after year that it’s become one of those rites of passage for the fall season for Memphians.” 

Every summer, usually in late July, Taylor and his crew plant a field of corn, then carve out the twisty paths of the maze before it has a chance to grow. Seen from above, the maze forms a work of art. “This year was a Peter Pan theme. It’s got the Lost Boys flying through the sky and says ‘Stay lost!’ — which sort of has a double meaning in the corn maze world.” 

This year, the Mid-South Corn Maze, like all Tennessee agriculture, has been dealing with drought. “It has not rained in all of October, so it’s dustier than usual. The corn is trying to hang on. It’s a drought-resistant variety of corn, so it was able to grow in spite of not having a whole bunch of water.” 

One annual tradition that started soon after it opened is the Haunted Maze. On weekend nights in October, the corn maze stays open late and transforms into a haunted house. There’s nothing quite like being lost in a maze at night, pursued by chainsaw-wielding psychos and dark specters. On a Friday night two weeks before Halloween, kids and parents were lined up to get into the scary area long before the official opening.

It takes a big cast of costumed actors to stalk such a sprawling maze. Taylor says he has a dependable — and dependably scary — crew. “They have been assembled through the years. There’s a bunch of volunteers. We have a couple of families who started back in 2002, when [the Haunted Maze] first started and now their kids are 18 and they’re out here scaring with them. We’ve got a saying: The family that scares together, stays together.” 

The Mid-South Corn Maze at Agricenter International will be haunted Friday and Saturday, October 30th and 31st, beginning at 6:30 p.m. After that, Taylor and his crew will start the harvest and begin preparing for next year.  — Chris McCoy

Project [S]WAMP

On Halloween night, Swamp Bar will turn itself into the ultimate 2012 house party. The Creole-fusion bar and lounge located at 2146 Monroe Avenue will offer Jell-O shots, a beer pong tournament, a costume contest, and all the makings of an epic bash — reminiscent of the film Project X.

Sam Reeves Hill, assistant general manager, says the idea came down to creating something memorable for Halloween and their goal of simulating a house party. “Halloween in Memphis is always a fun time,” Reeves Hill says. “We were like, ‘What could we do that’s a little different?’”

Swamp Bar’s iconic themes, mixed with its attractiveness as a community business, provide the perfect elements for a “really cool party.” And with Halloween falling on a Saturday, this has all the makings of a night to remember.

“We wanted something unique enough that people would be like, ‘I need to go see,’” Reeves Hill says. “Maybe they’ll have such a good time they won’t want to leave.”

In addition to having the nostalgic elements of a “parents are away” bash, Swamp Bar will have DJ Bizkit and Khi Da Godd curating vibes from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.  — Kailynn Johnson

Cedar Hill’s Haunted Farm

Not only are you going to jump when ghoulish creatures and glowing skulls suddenly pop out at you on the Trail of Terror, you’re going to be amazed when you experience the surreal aspects of Cedar Hill’s Haunted Farm in Hernando, Mississippi.

The night I was there, 47 fire pits were burning on the haunted estate that encompasses more than 100 acres. Hundreds of people grilling hot dogs, setting up elaborate picnics, or just milling about, were gathered. A woman made s’mores at a table near a stack of pumpkins for sale. And a band on an outdoor stage performed music that wafted across the area.

And, to make it even better, an almost-full moon shone over everything.

“It’s its own little world,” said emergency medical responder Barney Moore.

My biggest fear wasn’t the creatures with hatchets, chainsaws, and scythes who approached me a little too closely for comfort in the dark, shadowy spaces. No, I felt the most apprehension before I arrived: Would I be able to find this place out in the country? Would I find a parking place? But those fears were unfounded. Cedar Hill’s Haunted Farm is at 8 Love Road right off Hwy. 51, about five miles south of Hernando. I quickly found a parking spot.

When darkness fell, it was time for the attractions: Trail of Terror, where “no children under 48 inches are allowed in,” according to a Cedar Hill post on my phone; the Haunted Barn — Sensturbia; the Haunted Hayride; the Flashlight Corn Maze; and the Zombie Paintball Target Shoot, where people can shoot 100 rounds of ammo with a semiautomatic paintball gun. (“No live actors firing back” was the comforting stipulation in the post.)

The Haunted Barn was the most terrifying attraction for me. It was like being in my house without a flashlight during a power outage. 

Guttural voices periodically yelled, “Get out!” Someone else asked, “Are you ready to die?” 

One of the ghouls had to lead me out of the barn because I felt like I was in a four-sided wooden box with no exit. But all the trailblazers in my group — as far as I know — made it out of the Trail of Terror unscathed.

I asked medical responder Moore if he had to assist anyone at these attractions. He said he recently had to help one of the “scarers” (the folks who frighten people). “She just got dehydrated,” he said.

My biggest fright of the night was when I discovered that the large corndog I was going to order would cost me more than $10. But my fear of overspending vanished after I tried it. It was one of the tastiest corndogs I’ve had in a long time. I almost bought two. But that might have been too scary. — Michael Donahue

Visit hauntedfarm.ms for details.

Soul Jam 3

Soil 2 Souls is an “intergenerational cultural enterprise and collective of South Memphis residents” aiming to “capture our community’s stories through the lens of food” and priding itself on giving back to the community through “love, legacy, and land.”

This Soul Jam event connects that mission with all the fun of Halloween, and after the success of previous Soul Jams, the collective is honoring this Halloweekend with even more activities than before. On Friday, October 30th, from 6 p.m. to midnight at 999 Ford Place (behind The Four Way Restaurant), children, teens, and adults are invited to enjoy Halloween festivities with local DJs, vendors, trunk-or-treating, food trucks, and costume contests. Tickets are $10 for adults; kids under 18 are admitted free until 7:30 p.m. Trunk-or-treating will end at 7:30 p.m., and “spooky hours” will begin at 8 p.m.

“We’ll have DJs and music the entire evening,” says JoElle Thompson, project lead of Soil 2 Souls. “We also might have some special performances from local artists.” Soul Jam 3 will be another chance to connect with South Memphis residents and allow their backyard to be a space for many to dance, relax, and eat in a joyful, safe environment. Attendees are encouraged to bring items that will enhance their experience, but are reminded to be responsible and safe. Security will be strictly enforced to ensure the safety of all jam-goers. — Krystion Pegues 

To learn more about Soil 2 Souls or Soul Jam 3, visit @Soil2Souls on Instagram and click the link in their bio. 

Hood Rave

Maarifa Arnett says Hood Raves are a “congregation of free people in rhythm.” It’s all about letting it out on the dance floor. As he describes the dance party series, he notes that the events aren’t really planned and follow somewhat of an “irregular schedule.”

“Me, my wife, sister, [and] brother-in-law — if we’re affected by something, then it affects all of us,” Arnett says. “The regularity of the party has been [reflective of] what we feel the city needs, and also what we need or can have as a capacity as a family.”

Arnett and his family are currently navigating grief as they mourn the passing of his mother, Sadio Arnett. He said it “rocked” their family, but he remembers that she instilled joy in them — especially as an act of rebellion.

He sees joy in the midst of grief as rebellion, which is what moved him and his family to host the sixth Hood Rave on Halloween. He sees the celebration as both cathartic and communal.

“This isn’t a party with sections, ‘bottle girls,’ or exclusivity,” he says. “It is about collective release. We really care about creating an environment of healing so people feel comfortable enough to have that public release.”

Arnett says community members will be the “center of attention, the focal point, and the reason for the season,” at the Halloween Hood Rave. There will also be “high vibrational and spirit-lifting music.” And he hopes this sense of community will continue off the dance floor. “We need a spirit of unity and rhythm, and we are amplifying that at the Hood Rave.” — KJ

Hood Rave will be held at 616 Marshall Avenue on Saturday, October 31st, from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. Tickets can be purchased at theblakfamily.com.

Shine & Roll Haunted Car Wash

You may have already driven through Shine & Roll to get your ride spic and span, but you haven’t lived, or experienced the undead, until you’ve seen it transformed into the city’s first and only haunted car wash. Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night through Halloween, from 7 to 10 p.m., it becomes “Memphis’ most terrifying — and most kid-friendly — Halloween drive-thru event.” Tickets are $50 per car, regardless of how many passengers are along for the ride. Each ticket includes a premium VIP graphene touchless wash, a full haunted experience, and candy. And if participants follow and tag the business (@shineandroll_carwash) on Instagram while attending the experience, they’ll receive a $25 voucher. 

With this being Shine & Roll’s second year offering the attraction, the team behind the scares is grateful for the community’s love and positive reactions. “It feels amazing because we’re having fun while we’re connecting with everyone in the community,” says Hazem Shoman, owner of Shine & Roll Car Wash. “When we opened, we had an amazing reaction from the people, and as we started getting involved with the community, we talked to them about how [they would] feel about something like this. And the reaction we got from the community [was] that they loved it, and this is when we decided to give it a shot. So we decided to make it bigger and bigger every year.”

With their ears to the ground, the team behind Shine & Roll wanted to highlight their neighbors’ voices and decided to create a safe space for children to indulge in Halloween festivities while being in the comfort of their guardian’s car. The goal was for parents to “have full control of the situation versus other haunted places,” Shoman says. 

The haunted car wash is only the beginning for Shine & Roll, which will offer something similar for the upcoming Christmas season. — KP

Visit the Shine & Roll Haunted Car Wash this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m. at 3610 Centennial Drive.

Wicked Ways Haunted House

During last month’s Gonerfest 23, most people approaching the Wiseacre Brewing Co. Cumberland Street entrance were gently accosted by gruesome, zombie-like figures who lurked in the shadows wielding oversized tasers and other weapons, springing out to inform newcomers of a haunted house just down the way. The ghouls were impressively committed to their bit, and, intrigued, I tried to learn more. Good luck getting the proprietors to respond to any calls or messages, though. I realized I simply had to go there. 

The mystery clearly was part of the experience. With my car creeping down a road lined with warehouses and loading docks, I approached what can only be described as a compound of terror. A ragged Quonset hut, marked “Zombie Defense Unit 926 Operations Site” in ragged letters, awaited at the end of the road, while a “U.S. Military” guard tower manned by a disfigured ghoul stood to one side, a half-decapitated figure climbing up the back. As the sun set, I was getting nervous. I had obviously stumbled upon a Fallout-inspired hellscape come to life. 

Billed as the “largest indoor haunted house in Memphis,” Wicked Ways Haunted House should be irresistible for anyone seeking the most extreme Halloween experience possible. “These aren’t just attractions … they’re an all-out onslaught of terror, a sensory overload built to twist your mind, crush your will, and leave you begging for a way out,” promises their website, boasting not only a “Tormented (Torture Chamber) Extreme Virtual Reality Encounter” but a “Cannibal 5-Minute Escape Room” as well, both of which “have shredded nerves and shattered courage, pushing even the boldest souls past their breaking point.”

Talk about threatening me with a good time! What more could a poor soul stuck in the mediocrity of this pedestrian, milquetoast existence ask for? But let there be no spoilers here! You’ll just have to gear up, brace your pitiful psyche, and head down to the compound yourself — if you dare. — Alex Greene

For hours and other details, visit wickedwayshauntedhouse.com.