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Nashville, Tennessee - Nashville Nightmare
By Michael Hopkins and Carroll Moore

TO FIND MORE HAUNTED HOUSES IN TENNESSEE
 

www.NashvilleNightmare.com

Nashville Nightmare: The Past, Present, and Future of Nashville's Haunt Scene

The year is 1984 on a crisp Fall day in the town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  A young boy, along with his family, walked up to the creepy façade of the Mysterious Mansion, an attraction that has stood the test of time and is still open to this day.  As the father of the family walked up to the ticket booth window, he looked down at his five-year-old son and asked a simple question, "Bradley, are you going in?” the young boy replied back with one simple statement. “Uh-uh, there's monsters in there." Little did the young boy know that day would set his life on a path that would be filled with the love for Halloween and monsters alike.  That little boy was Brad Webb, now owner of Nashville Nightmare, one of Tennessee’s best and scariest haunted houses ever created.
 

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We fast forward to the year 2010 when Brad was determined to create a haunted house attraction that would be a game changer in the city of Nashville.  Brad had owned and operated multiple haunted houses since 2004, but always in temporary locations.  Setting up and tearing down each year was eating into profits and holding back the quality of the show.  He wanted more and knew if his goals were to ever be reached, he would have to take a chance and leave the ‘satellite-style’ haunt behind.  So Brad took a year off and really studied the haunt industry. Knowing that the Nashville haunt market was a little behind the times, he traveled and toured many of the industry leaders throughout the southeast. “I knew in order to achieve the level I sought after, I would have to sign a long-term lease. The goal would be to become the # 1 attraction in Middle Tennessee,” recalls Brad. The days and nights of setting up and tearing down were over for Brad.  It was time to find the perfect setting for a NIGHTMARE.

In February of 2011, a lease was signed for a 25,000 sq ft space in the basement of an abandoned shopping center.  With thousands of cars daily driving past and quick access to the interstate, Brad was positive that he had found the perfect location.  “Being that it was in the basement, on the backside of the property, it didn't have a shopping center feel. It had a sense of abandonment and dread…the perfect setting for a haunted attraction,” says Brad. With an additional 50,000 square-foot available next to the property, Brad had found a location that his team could create an incredible attraction as well as grow and expand upon through the years.

 

 
The business plan was put together, and on May 2nd of 2011, the walls started going up. A team of skilled framers, artists and general laborers started working on a 17,000 square-foot haunt floor plan. “The goal was simple…build high-quality sets, rely heavily on great scare actors, and advertise, advertise, advertise!”

For Brad and his crew, it was a mad dash, but on September 16th, Nashville Nightmare opened its doors for the first time. The response from guests was incredibly positive.  Brad recalls, “Patrons were thanking us for the time and effort that had been put into the attraction.  It was unreal and extremely motivating.”  With over 4,000 more patrons than projected, the success of Nashville Nighmare’s first season provided the ability for even greater improvements for 2012, so they immediately expanded the haunt the very next year adding in a couple of big "show-stoppers", more impressive sets, and a few more scare-actor spots.

“Already by the end of that second year, I knew we could expand into the vacant buildings next to us, and even bigger things would be on the horizon for 2013,” recalls Brad. That next season, the main haunted house on property became known as Night Terrors and a brand-new second attraction called Dark Descent was created. Additionally, a brand-new ticket area, retail shop, and a 5000 square-foot actor, make up, FX, and costuming area was also added. Nashville Nightmare had a hunger, and the plan was to keep feeding it.

With rising attendance each year of operation, Brad decided for 2014 to bring back an old Nashville favorite, Horror High. “This is the first haunted house I worked at when I was 15 years old, and I wanted to bring back a bit of nostalgia with this attraction.”  Horror High took the place of Dark Descent and became an instant success with its horror themed school sets and its 14,000 sq ft layout.  In 2015 Horror High grew to 17,000 sq ft, while Night Terrors grew to an impressive 23,000 sq ft attraction.
 

For Brad and his crew, it was a mad dash, but on September 16th, Nashville Nightmare opened its doors for the first time. The response from guests was incredibly positive.  Brad recalls, “Patrons were thanking us for the time and effort that had been put into the attraction.  It was unreal and extremely motivating.”  With over 4,000 more patrons than projected, the success of Nashville Nighmare’s first season provided the ability for even greater improvements for 2012, so they immediately expanded the haunt the very next year adding in a couple of big "show-stoppers", more impressive sets, and a few more scare-actor spots.

“Already by the end of that second year, I knew we could expand into the vacant buildings next to us, and even bigger things would be on the horizon for 2013,” recalls Brad. That next season, the main haunted house on property became known as Night Terrors and a brand-new second attraction called Dark Descent was created. Additionally, a brand-new ticket area, retail shop, and a 5000 square-foot actor, make up, FX, and costuming area was also added. Nashville Nightmare had a hunger, and the plan was to keep feeding it.

With rising attendance each year of operation, Brad decided for 2014 to bring back an old Nashville favorite, Horror High. “This is the first haunted house I worked at when I was 15 years old, and I wanted to bring back a bit of nostalgia with this attraction.”  Horror High took the place of Dark Descent and became an instant success with its horror themed school sets and its 14,000 sq ft layout.  In 2015 Horror High grew to 17,000 sq ft, while Night Terrors grew to an impressive 23,000 sq ft attraction.

“Now entering our sixth year of fear, we have brought together the best talent in the area to take Nashville Nightmare even further to the next level. Some of the best creative minds, set designers, and make-up artists in the area are all collaborating on how to make 2016 Nightmare's best season yet,” says Brad.  Nashville Nightmare is raising the bar once again with their new attractions for 2016.  Dream Rippers and Fairytale Hell will be inside the massive 23,000 sq ft space that housed Night Terrors the previous season.  Plus, Horror High: The Final Exam and Grimm’s Circus of the Macabre will finish the slate for the other space on property. 

 

 

Enter Dream Rippers…As the Necro-Toxin is pumped into your brain you encounter nightmarish creatures and hellish settings that only dwell deep within the recesses of your mind. Dark subway stations and sewers start your trip until you bust into the remains of the old Antioch Asylum. Tour through the decaying mortuary before a moonlit walk through the graveyard. Evil priests have been busy summoning a demonic entity inside a mausoleum, and the possessed Graves Manor will leave you unnerved!

Journey through the twisted land of make believe inside Fairytale Hell. Remember your favorite stories as a child? Well those have been destroyed! Visit Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater, Little Red, and many more characters in a totally twisted take on the classic stories!

Your adventure doesn't stop there as you enroll in class at Horror High: The Final Exam. No more pencils, no more books, as you creep through the haunting halls one final time. The principal is very upset with your behavior in line and sends you straight to detention. The lunch lady is cooking up quite a feast while the smell of the locker room will leave your stomach in knots. Biology and the library are just a few of the stops you will make before a trip to the school nurse. On your way out, don't forget to swing by the chop shop and janitors quarters, where it isn't wood they've been cutting on!

Step right up, don't be shy! You might just live or you might just die! Witness Grimm’s Circus of the Macabre performing right in front of your very eyes. Stuck in a Purgatory, they must perform this hellish show for all eternity. But be careful not to become part of the act!
 

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Brad Webb might be the hardest working haunt operator in the nation.  Not only is he making Nashville Nightmare the Ultimate Haunted Destination in the Nashville area and beyond, but he also operates off-season events such as My Bloody Nightmare, A Nashville Nightmare Before Christmas, Dark Weddings, and more.  His secret to success is never being satisfied.  His twisted desire to push the limit of haunting has led to great success, but he never stops. Every time he creates the scariest haunted house ever, he finds ways to become even more horrific than before.  And with the 2016 Haunt season on the horizon and thousands of Nightmare Nation awaiting, it’s safe to say that Nashville Nightmare guests will continue to experience and love one of the top rated haunts in the nation.

 

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Hauntworld Reviews Tennessee Haunted Houses

Welcome to our Tennessee Haunted House and Halloween Attraction page where you can find all sorts of haunted houses in Tennessee. Some of our favorite haunted houses in Tennessee are located on this page.  Listed below are some of the best haunts you can find in the state of Tennessee.  If you know of a haunted house, haunted hayride, ghost tour, real haunted house, haunted attraction, scary attraction, or Halloween attraction inTennessee please refer those attractions to our site so they may create a FREE listing.  If you you would like to review one of the attractions we have listed please create an account.  Once you create a user account you may post your reviews and rate any haunted houses on our system.

FrightWorks Haunted House in Knoxville, Tennessee and intense in your face haunted house that will leave you begging for your life. The monsters you will encounter once you are inside are relentless with their scares. Around every twist and turn is a new frightful scene that will have you running and screaming. Check out their website here www.frightworks.com

Just outside of Tennessee there are a lot of other scary and creepy haunted houses check them out right here

Not far from Georgia there are some other great haunted houses worth the drive one of those is Atrox Factory Haunted House near Birmingham, Alabama is 50,000 square feet of sheer terror. Dr. Slain is inside waiting for you. He knows you are coming and has the lab all ready for your mulilation. Be brave and visit their website at www.atroxfactory.com

Netherworld Haunted House in Altanta Georgia is ranked on of the nations BEST haunted house and is one that you can not afford to miss.You come face to face with the Carnivore and the Mangler who feast on human flesh and blood. Scares that come from all angles where those who didn't make it out before you are looking for company. Check then out here www.fearworld.com 

In St. Louis Missouri you will find another of the Top Ranked Haunted Houses in the country, The Darkness. This haunted house is two floors of pure hell that you don't want to miss. The floors beneath you will shake as you try and make your way through this awesome haunted house. Every room you enter will offer you a differe state of the art scare. Also home to the haunted museum with memorbilia from some of Hollywoods scariest Horror Films ever made. Check them out at www.scarfest.com for more information.

Tennessee loves to scream so please be our guest and click on the profiles for Halloween attractions in Tennessee listed above.

To read more about the haunted house industry subscribe to HauntWorld Magazine www.HauntedHouseMagazine.com