They scare because they care … Nightmare On Main opens on Main Street
Jennifer and Matt Smith have been doing haunted houses for over a decade and Nightmare on Main is among their best work. (William Paine photos/Patriot Publishing)
By WILLIAM PAINE
Patriot Publishing
“We scare because we care,” said Jennifer Smith, as I greeted her in front of the soon to be opened Nightmare on Main. She was standing with husband, Matt Smith and Pulaski Town Manager Todd Day.
The Nightmare on Main, located at 34 West Main Street in the former APCO office building, will officially open to the public starting at 7 pm Friday, Oct. 3. The Nightmare on Main will be open from 7 till 10 on Fridays and Saturdays until Saturday Nov. 1, or as it’s referred to in Mexico, “The Day of the Dead.”
For the first two weekends, a ticket to the Nightmare on Main costs $20. For the final three weekends of nightmare experience, the fee for entry is $25. All proceeds from this fright fest go to New River Valley Community Action (NRVCA).
“We put the fun in fundraising,” said Jennifer, who is the CEO of NRVCA. “New River Community Action provides safety net social services for the New River Valley, Pulaski, Giles, Floyd, Montgomery and city of Radford. That’s Head Start, the food pantries, shelter, housing …We are neighbors, helping neighbors.”
“We’re 77 percent federally funded,” Jennifer continued. “The main thing about federal grants is that they’re very specific, like for instance Head Start funds must go to the Head Start program. So, these are unrestricted funds that we can use however people need and usually that looks like helping families get their truck repaired, paying for medical bills, things that can really derail someone and can lead to homelessness. These funds will help with what we call emergency assistance, which is financial assistance for those life altering events.”
How did the idea of a haunted house come about?
“At the heart of it, people just love Halloween,” said Jennifer. “It’s the second most commercial holiday, only after Christmas and Matt grew up in a funeral home, so…”
“I think I’m normal,” replied Matt, who looks normal enough, but definitely has a propensity for the macabre.
Jennifer met her husband Matt at a non-profit organization in Loudoun County.
“I was the CEO there and, on the property, there was this big mansion from 1872 and you didn’t have to have much imagination to think it might be haunted and what we could do with it,” said Jennifer. “And it was wildly successful. I did that seven years there and we were making $30,000 every year. By my last year there, we were making over $500,000 on the haunted house.”
It takes 28 volunteers to make the Nightmare on Main happen.
“We have almost 3,000 volunteer hours already,” said Jennifer. “We have a makeup crew. We have a costume crew. We have a street team to recruit people there at Radford University. We have the Giles High School drama club and we’re always looking for more volunteers.”
Even though these volunteers aren’t truly monsters, the fright they cause is real.
“We say this is a PG-13 event,” said Jennifer.
“And you still might wet your pants,” added Todd Day.
“Actually, we did on Friday have a lady wet her pants,” Jennifer responded. “What can I say? We’re good at what we do! This is Matt’s 14th year of haunting and my tenth. So, we have a lot of practice. I’m a big believer in social enterprise. You come here, have a good time. That’s a win. You come here, have a good time and help your neighbors. Double win, right? You come here, have a good time, help your neighbors and visit other businesses. Win, win, win. It’s just nothing but winning. Todd sees it.”
“I absolutely see it,” responded Day. “You know, business brings business, point blank. So, her having this right here on Main Street is important to me because it brings an economy. We have restaurants that will be open. We have businesses that will be open just because this is going on. The town has spent time and energy. We lit the parking lot over there on the opposite corner. We put flood lights up over there. We’re also lighting the parking lot on Washington Avenue. So, we’re doing everything we can do. We have to help her be successful, because in return, we’re successful.”
As enthusiastic as Day is, he begged off before Jennifer and Matt took me on a tour of the Nightmare on Main. Was he scared? Most likely.
The inside of the old APCO building looks a lot different than it did in the old days, thanks to Matt Smith and his crew’s handiwork. Inside there is a maze of walls, hidden panels, secret doors and macabre and gory scenes around every corner. After passing by a ticket window and through an entranceway draped in black plastic, the interior gets very, very, dark and the spooky sounds get a lot louder.
Screams, shrieks and moans accompany each visitor as they make their way through the Nightmare on Main as ghouls and demons suddenly appear, writhing and shaking from every direction. Each room has its own fiendish flavor along with its own form of frightfulness. You may well get squirted in the Haunted Bathroom and you might find yourself cornered in the Black Maze, or you might just run into a severed leg that seems to be dancing in midair. Sparks fly, cages rattle and it’s hard to see anything until its right beside, behind or on top of you.
The smokey Swamp Room (Jennifer’s favorite) brings the fright from an unexpected angle and Passing Through the Chicken is a particularly unsettling experience, especially if you’re prone to claustrophobia.
“You can’t hide from the nightmare,” Jennifer whispered in my ear, as husband Matt threw open hidden doors and panels to add to the scare. This was a test run and so the myriad of monsters in makeup that will animate the Nightmare on Main this weekend were not there. The fact that Jennifer was accompanying me definitely put me at ease, but I was definitely startled on several occasions and when all the cast is present and into character, I’m certain this will be a top tier terrifying experience.
Tours through the Nightmare on Main take around 22 minutes on average but it varies. There may be some wait time between tours but the Count’s Crossing pocket park across the street will be turned into a wine garden on weekends to keep the wait bearable. Nightmare on Main guests may also want to sup at Broussard’s or the Purple Cactus, which are across West Main Street. The Nightmare on Main will text you when it’s time to terrify.
“The family that slays together, stays together,” said Jennifer Smith, which is an odd thing for a lady to say but considering how she and husband Matt seem to get along and considering the blood isn’t real at the Nightmare on Main but the money it provides NVRCA is, I suppose she has a point.