Freakling Bros. is the reason I try my hardest to make it to Las Vegas from LA every Halloween season. My first time going was five years ago. I had heard nothing but amazing things about these mazes from close friends. On top of that I also had bought a ticket to their after-hours extreme haunt The Victim Experience, which takes over their “tamer” extreme maze, Gates of Hell. The Victim Experience is not running this year, but if interested always keep your ears open because you never know when it will pop up again, and tickets go fast. Back to the mazes that are open. These mazes are my absolute favorite and they have been scaring people for 27 years. At this attraction you will find three mazes; Castle Vampyre, Coven of 13, and Gates of Hell as well as unique roaming scare actors to keep guests on their toes while waiting in lines. Freakling Bros created something unique that I hadn’t experienced anywhere else and this family of haunters are some of the best. When asked what haunts are a must, Freakling Bros is what comes out of my mouth, I truly think it’s worth traveling to experience these Vegas mazes.
The Freakling Bros is a family run haunt. Over 40 years ago they started out scaring trick or treaters on Halloween and that grew and became more elaborate over the years. In 1992 they opened their first operation and in 2011 that expanded from one maze to three. You will definitely see the family still there running this haunt with gusto and they are some of the nicest people around. Their crew who work this haunt are also very much like a family and is the reason this haunt works so well. There’s a lot of passion and hard work put in so we can get some of the most fun scares possible.
Castle Vampyre
Maze Description:
A masterstroke of horror and illusion, deep within the walls of this fortress beats the heart of pure, unadulterated evil…You can feel it…You can hear it…But is it really happening? Is there any way out? They say seeing is believing… You decide!
Thoughts:
Castle Vampyre is a fun and classic take on a Halloween maze. Of the three mazes, this is the tamest and if your nerves are getting the best of you this is the place to start. This is a traditional take on vampires moving throughout the master’s castle. The maze incorporates jump scares from all directions, illusions to confuse you, and some other great effects that I don’t want to spoil. This is, unfortunately, Castle Vampyre’s last year at Freakling Bros and you don’t want to miss this one; make sure to pay your respects and say goodbye to this family-friendly maze.
Coven of 13
Maze Description:
In the thick darkness of the witching hour, as night becomes early morning, when most of us are fast sleep, a pack of cloaked, ageless figures gathers and chants. If you listen closely in the night, you will hear them. They speak slowly, softly, deliberately, and with insidious intention.
Their physical bodies are diseased, decrepit, and rotten, but when the Old Hag summons the dark spirit, and the High Priest channels the ferocity of its essence, they are empowered, and they are fierce. These are the dark witches of 13, born of sepsis and poison: You have been invited to make their coven complete. They call to you and welcome you in, to be vetted, initiated, and even reborn as one of them. Do you dare try to make the cut?
Thoughts:
Coven of 13 is your middle ground of intensity between Castle Vampyre and Gates of Hell. While Castle Vampyre felt very traditional in its take of Vampires, Coven of 13 breaks from what you might expect from a maze about witches and warlocks. Again, this is a maze with awesome effects throughout. I don’t want to detail too much of what happens inside as to ruin the maze for first-timers, but you will encounter very mild electricity, claustrophobic spaces, and crawling. I’ll never forget the first time I went through, I didn’t expect anything other than a regular walk through the maze because this wasn’t the extreme maze. However, this is far more interactive in your journey through the coven. It’s a great blend of effects and you honestly won’t know what’s coming next, which is great. This maze brings out so many different reactions from guests and by the end, people are running out the exit at full speed. It’s a really great maze especially if you are looking to climb your way up to the third maze the Gates of Hell.
Gates of Hell
Maze Description:
Must be 17 unless with a parent or guardian. Nobody under 13 permitted. Must sign a waiver before entering the Gates of Hell.
In 2011, we unveiled the first-ever R-Rated Haunted attraction in the state of Nevada. It was an unprecedented gamble based on one simple theory: that our adult audience was ready for something more. Thanks to our amazing and loyal patrons, what we had initially built for a niche’ audience surprised us by becoming a mainstream success. The GATES of HELL is now a nationwide haunt industry phenomenon.
The Gates of Hell is a sadistic experiment in absolute sensory overload. You won’t be a spectator. Prepare for heart-pounding, claustrophobic terror; face the reality of your own violent death…… and finally experience a slow and painful descent into cold, black nothingness to meet the Prince of Darkness himself. Do you have what it takes? We don’t think so.
Thoughts:
The Gates of Hell is the extreme haunt of Freakling Bros. If you don’t want to be touched, shoved, placed in claustrophobic spaces, yelled at, cursed at, witness violent and sexual themes, or experience electricity then this is not the maze for you. There are plenty of people who come to Freakling Bros and just attend the other two mazes because this isn’t for everyone. However, I love the fact that people can be introduced to a maze that incorporates the elements of a full-size extreme haunt. When I say full size, I mean that you are attending a show solo (usually), with a reservation time, and generally has a longer run time. It’s not typical for extreme haunts to have a line up out front to go through and I love that this is a thing. Not every year, but on some years Freakling Bros does turn Gates of Hell into a full-on insane extreme haunt that runs after hours (it is not for the faint of heart and does not compare to the intensity of Gates). In Gates of hell the theme is death, not like a cloaked grim reaper type of death, but actual death. This is a heart-pounding maze and it will make guests uncomfortable. Guests will have to sign a waiver before attending due to the nature of the maze and there is a safe word in case it’s too intense. Every once and a while you’ll hear someone on a microphone call out purgatory. That’s the safe word and it means someone wanted out. If you are up for challenging yourself and pushing outside of a safe zone then Gates of Hell is a great experience and it will absolutely scare the hell out of you.
Overall Freakling Bros’ Trilogy of Terror should be on your list of must-do haunts. It’s scary, it’s fun, the atmosphere is great, and there’s not much more you can ask for this Halloween season.
Ticket Prices and Information about Admission:
Castle Vampyre
$15.00
Coven of 13
$15.00
Gates of Hell (rated R, must be 17 unless with a parent or guardian and no one under 13 allowed)
$17.00
Freak Pass – Single trip through all 3 mazes
$40.00
Fast Pass – Front of the line access to all the mazes all season long, comes with a t-shirt that serves as your fast pass
$15.00
Tickets are only available on-site the night of the event and is cash only! ATMs are on-site if needed.
Tickets don’t sell out and the doors don’t close until everyone has experienced the mazes.
4245 S. Grand Canyon Drive
Las Vegas, NV, 89147
