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Screaming bloody murder at a haunted house is a must-do New York City activity every October, but part of the allure of haunted houses is that you know you're not actually going to die.
One iconic and beloved haunted house in Queens, A Haunting in Hollis, was shut down last Thursday after the New York City Fire Department called it “a death trap.”
Here’s everything you need to know about that haunted house and why it got shuttered.
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Why is A Haunting in Hollis closing down?
The New York Fire Department found multiple violations, including three staircases that were built illegally, exit routes that were completely blocked off and fireproofing materials that were removed from the building, per USA Today.
"We want everyone to enjoy Halloween, it's a great, great holiday, [and] I have children," FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker told WABC. "But we want them to do it safely, and that is a death trap that we came upon."
The haunted house opened in 2002 and has been one of the few well-known, long standing haunted houses outside of Manhattan.
When will people be able to go again?
After their failed FDNY assessment, A Haunting in Hollis put out a statement on its Instagram: "We truly love our community and realize that our family owned haunted house is a staple here," they wrote. "We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and disappointment this has caused. We are expeditiously working on meeting the safety requirements, of the department of buildings and the FDNY."
You don't need to look far to see how much a staple of the community the haunted house is.
"This sounds like a setup," one user commented. "You're open for business all year round."
"I went here last year and loved it and was hyped to go back this year, hoping it opens back up soon for sure," read another.
At the end of its statement, Haunting in Hollis mentioned that they planned to reopen this Friday, October 18, but it's not yet clear if they're on track to achieving their desired timeline.
If they don't pass the FDNY's inspection, there are plenty of other haunted houses to go in the city, including the Ridgewood Asylum haunted house in Brooklyn, Blood Manor in Manhattan and Ulster Park's Headless Horseman attraction in Upstate New York. If you want a more intense, real ghost experience, then you can visit any of the places thought to be haunted across the city.