A Hauntingly Ghoul Time

Circus Circus 7 p.m.-midnight Oct. 10, 14-17, 21-24 • 28-31, $34.95, $49.95 VIP express pass. 702.794.3939

Fright Dome transforms theme park into supernatural spectacle

By Chris Carney

Las Vegas has long been known for doing things better than everyone else. Spend some time in the desert city and you’ll likely gamble in one of the most luxurious poker rooms on the planet, enjoy a juicy steak prepared by one of the world’s best chefs or rest your head on a Egyptian cotton pillow at one of the world’s largest hotels.

With its background in great shows and extravagant sets, it is little wonder that the annual extravaganza known as Fright Dome continues to rank among the scariest Halloween attractions in the nation.

Housed in the Adventuredome theme park at Circus Circus, Fright Dome first opened in 1993 and has terrified and entertained thrill seekers ever since. Upwards of 60,000 souls venture through Fright Dome each year, seeking to be scared to near death by macabre villains from the worst nightmares that film and literature have to offer.

The brainchild of entrepreneur and businessman Jason Egan, Fright Dome has surged to ever-increasing heights of terror, while employing upwards of 300 actors to ply their talents.
Fright Dome’s blood, gore and creepy theme music can turn what may be the most kid-friendly place on the Strip into a chill fest that will continue to infect dreams and engender nightmares long after visitors head home.

Even those who have patronized the Adventuredome will be hard pressed to see the junior-friendly Frog Hopper ride or airplane carousel of the Thunderbirds ride underneath the layers of fright at the “Hillbilly Hell” or Saw-themed attractions.

In some ways, Fright Dome simply zeroes in on one of the primal emotions that many Vegas gamblers feel every time they hit the casino. Wait the few seconds that become hours as your dealer reveals the card that will make or break your blackjack, or stare across the table at a poker fiend you just know is bluffing, maybe, and you’ll know the heart-stopping, sweat-inducing fear-turned-thrill that has long made them question that high limit poker lounge.

Featuring five haunted houses including My Bloody Valentine, the previously mentioned Saw and the all new zombie-inspired Flesh Feast, Fright Dome dredges fears from the roots of our unconscious.
Live shows top off the entire experience. Merlin Award-winning magician Dixie Dooley, whose mystical illusions have wowed Las Vegas for more than 30 years, takes a haunted twist. Marilyn Manson double Dan Sperry, the Anti-Conjurer, combines the surreal, the macabre and the just plain odd into an extravaganza that was born for this time of year. Finish the evening off with a visit to Roby Cody, whose devolutions into the odd just may make him the coolest magician on Earth.

If you’re looking for anything gory, twisted and terrifying, take a jaunt over to Fright Dome, and pray that you escape with soul and sanity intact.