John Laflamboy, Jr., welcomes people as they enter the Fear Haunted House (www.thefearhauntedhouse.com) at Navy Pier, 600 E. Chicago. And as we engaged in a little ghoul talk, I discovered that he’s been in the game for a while.
‘Navy Pier has a long history of doing haunted houses, but this is the first year we’ve done it here,’ Laflamboy said. ‘Our company, Zombie Army Productions, has been around for a decade. We’ve done such places as Statesville Haunted Prison and City of the Dead. We’ve been around for a long time.’
Laflamboy added scaring people is a family affair: ‘I’ve been running the business right out of college [where he majored in theater]. Right away, my mom showed up, bringing actors. My dad showed up, tearing tickets. Then, all my brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and cousins showed up, all in costume.’
Walking through the house (which I actually braved for our readers) was pretty intense—so much so that I grabbed the hand of a woman I didn’t even know. She seemed grateful to have someone’s hand to hold on to.
From my Igor-like escort (who gnashed his teeth at me when I refused to kiss him on the cheek) to the giant rats to the various undead creatures, Fear Haunted House is an unforgettable (20-minute) experience. And, remember: The monsters won’t touch you if you don’t touch them.
Fear Haunted House at Navy Pier will run Wednesdays-Sundays through Nov. 2, 6-11 p.m. Tickets are $20 ($25 to move to the front of the line).