We braved the most expansive exhibit first. It was described as the "Spirit of Halloween" and it was packed with disturbing displays. We narrowly escaped those horrors before we confronted The Forsaken. We were in a prison in which the most violent offenders led by the Queen of the Damned were waiting for more victims. We had to navigate our way through the ruins of the jail's laundry room, machine shop and other spaces where inmates waited to jump out and "grab us". (Note the actors are not supposed to touch guests but they will interact with you so be watchful). Next, we wandered into the waterlogged remains of a once glorious riverboat. The sprites of sinister characters and aristocrats haunted the ship as do the creatures of the deep.

A chilling carnival like atmosphere greeted us at Operation Laughing Place but it was no laughing matter as we were dazzled by bright colors while caustic clowns came clamoring at us - good thing we were armed with laser tag guns to keep these creepy clowns at bay. Keeping with a 1950's theme was Nuke Town an abandoned nuclear testing site where bio hazards remain. Mutated monsters along with mutilated humans prowl the premises in search of living humans.

My high school girlfriend for the night; makeup artist Emily; and, General Manager Dustin Graves.

Horror High has a back story in which the captain of the cheer squad goes missing with rumors that Roxanne was kidnapped by a jealous teammate and she is back with a bloody vengeance. Now, if that is not scary enough there are bullies, mean teachers and slamming lockers to remind you of the not so happy times in school.

We had the pleasure of attending a media night at Nashville Nightmare where we met Dustin Graves General Manager. He took the press behind the scenes to the green room where the actors are assigned their roles which in turn determines if they will wear a mask or need make-up. Emily one of the make-up artists was busy transforming a person into the character that would greet us later at Horror High. Emily mentioned how they have to take into account which house the actor will be in as lighting (even darkness) affects their appearance. We learned that there is a lot more to horror than meets the eye.

Some of the Nashville Nightmare relax in the green room.

Attention to details are also important. The set ties into a theme and if you look closely there are well thought out facets that add to the story that each haunted house is telling. Dustin said that they are an all immersive experience which means even smells are taken into account. Nashville Nightmare has been open for eleven years so they have got it down. Obviously, Halloween is their high season but they are also open at Christmas time, Valentine's Day and Friday the 13th with themes that reflect those calendar moments.

A general admission ticket gains access to Cursed: Dead In The Water, The Forsaken, Nuke Town, and Horror High. Adds-ons included Mini Escape Games and Laser Tag. There is also a gift shop to pick up momentos of your scary good time at Nashville Nightmare. Free parking and plenty of parking spaces are available in back of Madison Square Shopping Center. Please check Nashville Nightmare's website for hours and tickets.

The cue line characters added some extra fright to the night.

Related Links: For more information on NASHVILLE NIGHTMARE and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links - Nashville Nightmare