What began many years ago as Fright Nights at the Fair has transformed and grown into what is now known as The Fright Nights. Nestled inside a massive factory, The Fright Nights combines incredible sets, gigantic animatronics, and an eager cast to create a must-see haunt in Syracuse, New York.

The people behind the frights have stepped up their game to showcase what can be done with a willingness to grow and learn. The Fright Nights features five attractions, each with different themes. Lady Lamson’s Cursed Voyage takes guests on board a pirate ship filled with buccaneers and 3D paint that pops right off the wall. Penny’s Playhouse takes you into the big top to find your way through the menacing clowns and creatures. Burgen Manor is a trip back in time to a stately abode where the ghosts are free to roam. The Monster Movie Matinee takes inspiration from Hollywood hits to bring frights, and Devil’s Dungeon Slide to Hell is exactly what it sounds like – a huge slide that brings you straight to the inner circle of Hell.

One of the largest additions to The Fright Nights in 2024 is the massive cast. The last time I visited in 2021, it seemed like there were about 10 actors in the whole place. In 2024, there are over 100. This is a huge step in the right direction and a positive sign for the years to come.

Burgen Manor is by far the attraction with the most energetic cast, showcasing different personalities and moods of monsters that lurk within. This is opposed to the Monster Movie Matinee attraction that does have some enthusiastic actors, but also has actors that didn’t seem to get into the vibe. In a few scenes, actors swept by me as if I were invisible.

This is also the attraction where a zombie in the Resident Evil-themed scenes was wandering about just saying “brains”. I know that’s the trope of zombies, but it just felt so out of character for a Resident Evil zombie. There was another zombie in the same scene that was full of energy and embodied the spirit of what the films depict.

One actor who really stood out to me was the actor in the coffin room of Burgen Manor, who bantered with me as I traversed through the scene. An actor who deserves a warm cup of tea and throat lozenge is the screamer at the end of Monster Movie Matinee. She brought the energy and volume, and oh man, can she scream! I didn’t find any actors out of character.

While each of the attractions had enough, and sometimes more than enough actors, Devil’s Dungeon seems a bit light in places, making it feel somewhat empty. Perhaps a redistribution of actors from the manor and matinee could help to balance this, as those two attractions feel a bit on the heavier side when it comes to actor numbers.

Costuming is really great in all of the attractions. The Pirate Ship is full of pirates, Penny’s Playhouse is is full of clowns. These themes basically write themselves when it comes to characters, however it would be really nice to see other characters that are related to these themes to help build those worlds more.

One of the characters that stood out was the young man playing Egon Spengler in the Ghostbusters scene. There is a full-size ECTO-1 parked in the scene, and the actor really looks the part, wearing a jumpsuit and a proton pack. The key details here are the glasses which are the same style that Harold Ramis wore in the film, and his hair has been styled to mimic the character from the film. In the same scene, Ghostface from the movie “Scream” comes running out before Egon asks if we’ve seen any ghosts. Now, Ghostface isn’t a ghost, nor a character from Ghostbusters, so for both films to have been blockbusters in their own time, it’s disappointing to see the mismatch of character placement in this area.

Many of the actors I encountered primarily wore masks, but the downside to using commercially available masks is that they become recognizable and don’t feel special to that haunt or attraction. While I understand the benefits of using masks, Penny’s Playhouse was full of actors in familiar clown masks, although I did see some actors wearing makeup in cases where they had a speaking role or were using a noise maker sort of prop.

The Umbrella Corp soldier in the Resident Evil scene of Monster Movie Matinee has a very detailed costume. There was certainly a lot of time and effort put into this notable outfit.

The queue actors are well-detailed, and rightfully so. These are the folks taking selfies with guests and are being seen from every angle all night long. They hit the nail on the head and looked great from head to toe!

The Fright Nights has excellent customer service. All of the non-acting staff are friendly and helpful, and the acting staff outside of the attractions are good when it comes to interacting with the public, but none do it better than Grandma. Grandma is a beloved fixture at The Fright Nights, as she’s known for handing candy out to kids. I had a wonderful opportunity to chat with her while I was on site, and she expressed how happy it makes her to see people come back year after year and to see the kids grow up over the years.

The website, however, could use some work. In general, we like to see things like an operating calendar, FAQ section, directions, and parking. There are times and days of the week listed at the bottom, but it doesn’t show specific dates that the haunt will be open. Clicking the “buy tickets” link brings you to a calendar, where you can pick the date and time and see how many tickets are still available per spot.

The biggest thing missing is an FAQ section that addresses all of the common questions like, “Will I be touched?” and, “Can I bring my kids?” For the record, you won’t be intentionally touched as this is a “no touch” haunt. There are descriptions of the haunted houses, and nice photos of actors and sets.

Parking is easy to navigate once you find the place, and it’s very straightforward.

In terms of safety inside the attractions, we really only deduct points for things that are truly dangerous. There are two spots you may want to watch out for inside Monster Movie Matinee. The metal ramps in one section are somewhat steep, and could become very slippery if they got wet, or someone with wet shoes stepped on them. The same goes for the metal walkway in the King Kong set.

The slide in Devil’s Dungeon is completely optional, but guests aren’t given much information about the slide before making their choice. To make it clear, the slide is a 120-foot Dartron slide like you’d see at a carnival or fairground. People with back or hip issues may want to avoid the slide, as it caused a bit of pain for me.

The set builds, and diversity of characters really helps to transport guests outside of reality into the worlds where these haunts live. The attention to detail in each attraction really sells the story or theme that’s being portrayed.

This isn’t without its limitations, though. Many of the animatronics are left in a bare sort of setting that shows the frame or movement armature, bringing you back to reality. A particularly bad example of this is a zombie animatronic that moves up and down vertically on a steel frame, and is placed on the floor as if more work was going to be done to the item, but it was forgotten about. A way to combat this break from the immersion is to cover or conceal the frames in some way. This may not be possible for every moving piece, but I believe that the ingenuity behind The Fright Nights can find some way to hide them. This is in line with objects that work together with animatronics, such as speakers and fog machines or bottles of fog juice.

Devil’s Dungeon immerses guests into an industrial sort of vibe, with dark corridors and scenery depicting brickwork along the walls. Each scene here is filled with ominous lighting, audio, and creatures, creating an unsettling atmosphere.

In Burgen Manor, you’re taken on a journey through a haunted Victorian manor that is chocked full of ghosts and monsters, and it really does feel like walking through an old house. The organ prop near the beginning is a beautiful piece of scenery, and really starts to build the idea that this is an abandoned manor from the seventeen or eighteen hundreds.

Descending deeper into the attraction, we eventually come to the mad scientist’s lab, which is full of machinery, experiments, and we see the fate of the test subjects as they rotted away in steel cages to nothing but bone. I think that both attractions lend themselves well to the foundations of a storyline, and could really go above and beyond in the setting.

Cursed Voyage, Penny’s Playhouse, and Monster Movie Matinee are all examples of attractions that do well as a theme without a linear story. Cursed Voyage and Penny’s Playhouse feature pirates and clowns respectively. Voyage puts you aboard a pirate ship that’s full of pirates and the things you might find on a pirate ship, whereas Penny’s Playhouse is a circus or funhouse-themed attraction that’s full of clowns. The set dressings are reminiscent of a circus with red and yellow being the main color palette throughout.

Monster Movie Matinee could work either as an overarching theme or as many small storylines. Each scene is based on real films such as Jurassic Park, Resident Evil, or Krampus. It may be challenging to tell a cohesive story within the space of one or two scenes, but the framework is absolutely there, and in my opinion, this could easily become the best attraction at The Fright Nights.

The queue area is full of gigantic facades that give patrons a small taste of the attraction behind it, and are absolute masterpieces. Standing no less than fifty to sixty feet tall in some cases, the entrances are beautifully crafted to make sure guests are feeling the right vibe as they enter the area. Theatrical lighting and sounds emanate from everywhere, and it will put you in the mood for some frights.

Special effects is the area where The Fright Nights shines brightly. There are several massive animatronics all over the place. From the 20-foot angel of death in the queue area, to the leaping and lunging monsters in Devil’s Dungeon, to the absolutely huge dinosaurs in Monster Movie Matinee, they are all impressive in their scenes and an excellent use of space.

There are great uses of fog and show lighting throughout each attraction, including the spinny tunnels inside Penny’s Playhouse, and the laser swamp in Burgen Manor. This is all great, but the coup de gras is the earthquake simulator in Matinee. You read that right, earthquake simulator. Very unexpecting, but I will spare details, and let those visiting experience the surprise.

Sound effects and ambient tracks are used well in each attraction. From the steam blast in Burgen Manor, to the built-in sounds for all of the animatronics. The monster sounds definitely matched what I imagine a monster to sound like!

The sets and scenes are some of the best in the business. The entirety of the manor looks as though it were pulled up by its foundation and placed inside the factory. From the moment the attraction begins, it looks as though you’re walking through a real haunted manor.

Every scene is telling a story, and it flows extraordinarily well. The attention to detail in this attraction is a thing of beauty and something that should be used as the industry standard when it comes to set and scene design. On the other hand, my absolute favorite scene is the church in Devil’s Dungeon. Walking into the scene, it emits an eerie vibe that’s hard to replicate, and that’s when the chandelier begins to drop, and a ghost flies in through a window. The only thing that would make this cacophony better is if a light effect made it look like lightning was striking and a thunder sound played.

One of the best setups in the entire haunt comes from Burgen Manor. As you’re walking into a scene, an actor is crawling towards you with a look on their face as though they’re about to turn you into a snack. A double scare comes in the form of an actor from behind and another through a window. It’s big, it’s loud, and it’s scary. This follows an excellent Jack & Jill setup a few scenes prior, where one actor distracts you, and another moves in for the kill. Simply incredible!

On the note of things that scare people, Penny’s Playhouse is full to the top with clowns. While clowns aren’t particularly scary to me, I can see how someone with coulrophobia would feel incredibly out of their element in this attraction.

Throughout the other attractions are several great hiding spots for actors that even I found to be surprising and a few of them made me jump on occasion. These are usually performed by actors with very high energy that can unleash all of it in an instant and catch anyone off guard.

Scares are often peppered into different parts of a given group, leading to uncertainty of when the scare will come or who will take the brunt of it. I like that it’s not always the first person getting all of the action because everyone paid for a ticket, after all. Alternatively, as a one-man group, I did encounter a few actors who didn’t seem to have a scare or an act at all. One of them is the elf entering the Krampus scene in Matinee. The actor just stared at me. Perhaps they’re the distraction for the other actor in the scene who followed me and tried to be menacing in some way.

So, is it worth it? This reviewer thinks so. For $35, you get five beautifully made attractions, scares, and laughs with your friends. Something to keep in mind is that there is no VIP or fast pass system in place. Everybody waits in the same line, so to keep wait times down, you’ll want to arrive early. There is free parking on site, and there are lot attendants to point you in the right direction. I calculated a total of 24.31 minutes inside the attractions, not counting the queue for the earthquake simulator, which is part of The Monster Movie Matinee attraction. This gives us 0.69 (nice) minutes per dollar, or boos per buck, as I’m fond of saying.

Guests waiting in the queue won’t have to bury their noses in mobile devices, as there are costumed actors wandering around and scaring anyone they can. After the last attraction, guests will find themselves in a space occupied by Dark Hollow Productions, where they’ve set up two carnival-style games and a theatrical drink stand.

Ordering a drink comes with a little show that’s a lot of fun to watch, and I think it makes the drink taste better. After you’ve bought your drink and played the games, you’ll find yourself in the gift shop where the usual assortment of shirts and hats and such are up for sale. If the drink stand isn’t quite enough for your palate, there is a food stand outside serving hot and cold foods and snacks. One thing I think would be really great for this outdoor space is a covered seating area in case of rain or snow. Outdoor heaters could make it a little more comfortable outside on chilly nights, too.

The Fright Nights is a great place for a night out with friends, a date you’re hoping to impress, or even alone. I look forward to the years to come to see how this haunt grows and develops.