One of the biggest surprises of Midsummer Scream was Winchester Mystery House and their 2024 panel. In 2023, the famed/infamous house in San Jose, California, celebrated 100 years of scares. The theme for that event was Unhinged and it continues in 2024 with a new theme, set in the 1940s. Unhinged: Hotel is set in 1945 and turns the Winchester House into a swanky resort. Opening night is of course, Friday the 13th, in September.
Here’s the synopsis for the event from Winchester Mystery House:
Stranded with car troubles, a group of friends seeks help at a nearby hotel. Little do they know the seemingly empty hotel is hiding more than just vacant rooms. As they venture deeper into the halls, an unsettling feeling creeps in—they realize they are not alone. Are you brave enough to step inside and uncover the dark secrets hidden within the walls? Will you make it to check out?
Guests have an active role in the show, they’re not just bodies shuffling through a haunted house. The big bad of the entire show is a man named Anton, who’s a collector of occult objects… and beasts. He also happens to be a vampire. That collection of mythical beasts breaks out of their cages and engage in a battle with the vampires of Harvest Day.
There are over 160 rooms in the story that take place over multiple floors of the Winchester Mystery House. There were two routes to go through last year, but they’ve gone down to one route to keep guests on the same path. In addition to the inside of the house, the action goes on the property outside, with The Mist making a return in 2024.
Here’s a map of the action and the estate in 2024.
So, the average haunt is about 4000 square feet, that’s pretty large. Unhinged: Hotel goes through 25,000 square feet of haunt in the house with another 20,000 square feet outside. They estimate that it’ll take guests around 45 minutes to go through on the short end.
The biggest thing for the creators and creatives behind Unhinged: Hotel was that the house itself is a historical landmark. They can’t put screws in the walls, they can’t put tape on the floor, so it made them have to use creative solutions to build up the haunt.
I don’t know about you, but this presentation and the details about the Winchester Mystery House jumped this up the rankings of haunts I have for the 2024 season.
Winchester Mystery House is open on select nights from September 13th to November 2nd. Tickets are on sale now.
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