A volunteer at Dr. Pain's asylum gazes into a crystal ball and predicts the fates of patrons.
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One room was lit by a strobe light, and a doctor told each group member that their bodies would be placed in the oven or fridge. The last room contained a stage where one performer sang "The House of the Rising Sun," replacing the original lyrics with his own, before everyone was chased out by screaming asylum patients and clowns.
All of the Dr. Pain's actors are volunteers and the show changes constantly. There are 12 to 25 actors each show, and it's unscripted. This year's theme is twisted carnival.
"If you go to a haunted house where all the actors are paid, you'll get a good show. But if you're going to one where all the actors are doing this for free, they're a bunch of freaks. And that's the d--- truth," said Leisa Mundy, sponsorship/event coordinator.
Third year tour guide Jeremy Ratliff knows the satisfaction of scaring someone.
"We had one guy in here who kept saying 'you can't scare me,' but I just stared at him. I didn't move, I didn't budge, and he leaves before he goes inside. That's fulfilling," said Ratliff. The 23-years-old works at a daycare and encourages kids to come to the Dayscare on Oct. 27. According to Scott Dickinson, a 33-year-old who works in information technology, the key to scaring someone is misdirection and knowing how to size up a group.
Eleven-year-old Jayce Taylor has been scaring for four years and has developed a signature scream.
"I creep up on people and have a screaming laugh and high-pitched scream. It's fun to see someone scared. The hardest thing is to not laugh," said Taylor. In four years, he has made 15 or 16 people leave Dr. Pain's with wet pants.
Dr. Pain's Haunted Asylum will be open every weekend in October, and daily from Oct. 24-31. It is also open the first weekend in November. It is located on 17 Seventh St. in Salem, Va. Tickets are $10 and sold in the Asylum Store, which is attached to the building, but can also be purchased in advance. There is a discount for groups of 10 or more, but only if tickets are purchased ahead of time. The house opens at 8 p.m. and closes when the line has "died." Last year, Dr. Pain attended to about 5,000 patients. This year, they expect upwards of 7,000 people.
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Just wanted to thank the Collegiate Times for doign such a great feature on us! Also - for those of you who are familiar with us - expect the unexpected! We change our rooms nightly and even our final scare changes from group to group! We love doing this and hope that everyone will come down to "Experience the Terror for Yourself!" this fall. Also, we encourage everyone to visit the website for the charity we are supporting this year, the Roanoke Valley Therapeutic Riding Program (www.rvtrp.org). A portion of our proceeds will benefit them and they will be on premises some nights to discuss their program and take donations towards their efforts to expand their program. Thanks again the VT Collegiate Times for their time and consideration in writing the article. Go Hokies!!
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The wait time was over 2 hours long for a 10 minute walk threw. There should be a better system in place to handle the crowd.
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"The first room features a hypnotist who predicted that the journey of the group will be ill-fated as another patient, with no eyes, crept up behind and stared. Upon entering the next room, everyone was greeted with a scream." As a person who currently receives treatment for a mental illness and has actually stayed as a resident in a state mental hospital, I find this to be extremely offensive. What's next? "The Trip a Cripple Cruise?" or perhaps "Poke the Alzheimer’s Patients Day?"
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This is not funny - Maybe you should take your med's and realize that this is a place to have fun. Your life must be really miserable if you take offense to a haunted house. Do you get offended every time a scary movie is taking place in a asylum? Ya know what, you should just kill yourself b/c your bringing everyone around you down with your negative attitude. The statement you made on this page is the biggest piece of retard bable I have ever read. Please go OD on your crazy pills so I never risk reading anything that comes out of your crazy head again. Thanks.
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Is there a website to this place?
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http://www.drpainshauntedasylum.com
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This article is a perfect example of false advertisement. Salem is half an hour away from campus, and the wait was almost three hours long. The tour guide was corny, and the rooms did not get progressively scarier. In fact, the rooms were not scary at all. It was obvious that the show is unscripted and acted by volunteers, because of the acting quality was absolutely horrendous. Dr. Pain's Haunted Asylum is not worth the money and is a perfect waste of a weekend night. If you are interested, please do not waste your time. I am extremely disappointed in this fine publication for printing this article. One should not lie just to obtain a story.
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