The Real House of Horror

With Halloween just around the corner, a good scare is just what everyone needs to get into the spirit of Halloween.  There are several haunted houses around Laredo, but the most interesting one is on 6402 North Bartlett Av. in the Guerra Communications Plaza on Jacaman rd. Hector Benavides the owner decided to open a haunted house, and with the help of his brother and nephews The House of Horror opened on October 7 2011. This haunted house is actually haunted! Several of the actors have witnessed paranormal activity while inside.  Mr. Benavides decided to call the Laredo paranormal research society and have them investigate the place. After two nights of investigation the results were in and they officially said that the building is haunted.

            Now don't let a couple of ghost stop you from visiting The House of Horror. This haunted house is extremely detailed and very well done. The moment you walk in you will get chills! The House of Horror has ten terrifying rooms in total, it has everything, you can imagine a haunted house should have, it even has moving floors. Now the actors embrace their characters so well that they literally take you on a ride to hell. According to Benavides "they have had people pass out, urinate in their pants, hyperventilate, run out the doors, and even go through some of the walls."

            On Sunday, October 30th there will be the first Halloween safe fest going on, in the Guerra Communications Plaza. There will be a total of about 30-40 booths from business and political entities that will participate. The festival will consist of costume and pumpkin carving contest along with many other games and activities. This is an attempt to make trick or treating safe and fun for children, and worry free for parents. That same night at about midnight, Benavides will choose 6 lucky people to spend 30 minutes inside the House of Horror completely alone. They will be in total darkness with a Ouija board, this type of board is used to communicate with spirits, and a pentagram star which is a symbol of a star encased in a circle, each point represents a different element such as earth, fire, wind, water, and the top point represents the spirit. This star is a way of connecting with the spirit world. Benavides will also have cameras all over so he can catch the participant's reactions. Whoever completes 30 horrifying minutes will collect a dinner for two from a local restaurant.

            The House of Horror is open Thursday through Sunday. On Thursdays and Sundays it is open from 8pm-11pm while Fridays and Saturdays its doors open from 8pm-1am. If you don't have the time to go during Halloween don't worry, the House of Horror will be open until November 15th. This Haunted House is definitely something to consider this Halloween weekend.

For comments of more information please contact Socorro Garza at socky0418@gmail.comor

Linda Fahara at lindafahara@dusty.tamiu.edu