Haunted houses will assume a slightly different character this year. Traditional Halloween experiences, where you walk through a house and costumed ghouls and vampires jump out to scare you, are impossible this year due to social distancing restrictions. That’s why this production company in Tokyo is reimagining the traditional haunted house concept by launching a drive-in experience.
Photo: Kowagarasetai
This Drive-In Haunted House in Tokyo Is the Stuff of Nightmares
Photo: Kowagarasetai
Kenta Iwana, the founder of the Kowagarasetai production company, told CNN, “With the virus, I knew there would be no way we could have a traditional haunted house, with all that screaming in a small confined space. When I read that drive-through theaters were making a comeback, it was my ‘aha’ moment.”
Located in a covered parking garage in downtown Tokyo, the drive-in haunted house simulates the experience of being stuck in a car during a zombie attack. Even though it’s a dive-thru, you won’t actually be driving anywhere — just sitting in the car with the engine turned off for the entirety of the 17-minute experience.
Photo: Kowagarasetai
A bluetooth speaker will take you through the tale as zombies throw themselves against your window and rock your car. Cars are wiped down before the experience for the safety of the actors and again afterward to remove any “bloodstains.”
The haunted house started as a summer attraction, for July only, but will be reintroduced this fall due to its popularity. You can use your own car for $75 or one that’s provided for you for $85.
And because making it to Japan this fall will be very tricky, know that you can enjoy a different, but just as terrifying, drive-through haunted experience in Orlando this Halloween. The “haunted road” will cost $15 per person. 