Halloween Hollow started as a team effort that wanted to start something fun, fresh and new in Silver Point
Silver Point – Screams echo across the night in Silver Point this time of year.
People run for their lives, dreading what may be around the next corner. Meanwhile, not far away, children laugh, happy to find the exit of a maze that seemed hopeless moments before. It’s Just another night at Halloween Hollow (HH).
Within the silver-lined boundaries of Silver Point, there is no escape. Well, there is, but HH owners Erica McElroy and Carroll Moore, who opened the attraction last season, say the location was perfect for the story they wanted to tell.
“We chose Silver Point in particular because of its abundance of silver and its geographic boundaries,” the owners told the Upper Cumberland Business Journal. “They help contain the “Fear Factions” that dwell inside Halloween Hollow. These are ancient beings that originated Halloween, so we had to create a town for them to stay. That town is Halloween Hollow.”
It features three different themed haunted houses: Big Top Meats, Video Slashback and Dark Raven. There is also a corn maze for the little spookies and a feline fortuneteller (I’m almost sure the teller is a feline, and she doesn’t tell the fortunes of felines, but who knows in Halloween Hollow). HH also offers live entertainment, laser tag and escape games on select nights with various free photo ops.
Three locations – HH offers Big Top Meats, Video Slashback and Dark Raven as well as a fortune teller.
The property is large with room for expansion. HH will haunt the area for at least a decade. The duo signed a contract to assure it.
“We have always had the upper Cumberland region on our radar. We love the area and the people,” said Carroll. “Me being a Nashville native, I have always enjoyed the area and thought Halloween Hollow would be perfect.”
HH started as a team effort that wanted to start something fun, fresh and new.
“Something that exemplified the essence of Halloween and that was Halloween fun for everyone,” said Carroll. “We are going into our second season and although our history at the Hollow has been short, our team has been engulfed in the haunted attraction business for many years.”
This is the second season for the talented crew at HH that features makeup artists, actors, costume designers, hype men and a lot more. Both Erica and Carroll love scaring the pants off people. Call Erica a prodigy. She has been trying to scare people since before sixth grade.
Carroll was an aspiring horror film director until he realized he could create real-life movies. In 2006 he started designing haunted houses and hasn’t looked back.
“Our love of haunted attractions goes back to our younger years and has been our careers for quite some time now,” said Erica and Carroll.
Within the joy of the scare, a haunted attraction is an undertaking with many moving parts. In the end, it is really all about the revelers. A like-minded, dedicated team can make even the scariest business endeavor successful.
“The most important part of running any successful haunt is your team,” said the duo. “Management team, the actors, the front of house staff, none of Halloween Hollow could be possible without them. They make the Hollow a great Halloween destination and we say destination because we feel that’s what we are. We are a place where you can spend your entire evening and leave feeling spooked, laughing and having had a great time.”
Family fun – HH is fun for the whole family.
Michael Myers and Jason Vorhees don’t care if it is raining, but bad weather can put a damper on outdoor festivities and attractions at HH.
The weather radar is always on in the darkest bowels of the hollow.
“Weather is a huge factor,” admitted Carrol and Erica. “We don’t bring up the “R” word during our operation.”
Word-of-mouth is the primary driver of business for HH and haunted attractions in general, but navigating social media trends is another way the haunt spreads the word during spooky season.
“Treading the waters of social media is also difficult because it is constantly changing and you want to be sure the public knows about you,” they said. “That was definitely a challenging first season, but now it looks as if the word is out, and we are expecting big turnouts for the Friday the 13th weekend.”
Attendance has been up this year. Repeat customers and new customers have helped the haunt grow in year two.
“Compared to year one, there is nowhere to go but up,” said Carroll and Erica.
They are even seeing customers from out of state.
“That’s always a great thing to see,” they admitted.
Ghoul – Join HH for specials throughout the spooky season.
Both Carroll and Erica have been scaring people for a long time. A fun hobby, of course, but now they make a living doing what they love.
What is the best part of living their dream?
“Mine is finally seeing everything we conjured up during the offseason, being operational and entertaining the masses,” said Carroll. “Seeing it all play out like you envisioned is always a great feeling. Then, at the end of the night, when we all talk about the evening over Waffle House or late-night grub.”
Erica loves world-building.
“I love seeing it come to life and seeing our guests enjoy our vision,” she said. “Hearing people understand what Halloween Hollow truly is, a Halloween Town.”
Located at 14400 Old Baxter Rd in Silver Point, HH is open Friday and Saturday from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sundays from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. They will also be open Halloween night from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets start at $15 and can be bought online or at the door.
For more information visit www.halloweenhollowhaunt.com or follow on social media on Instagram- @halloweenhollowhaunt, Tiktok-@halloweenhollowhaunt and on Facebook- Halloween Hollow Haunted House.
Photos courtesy of Halloween Hollow.
Copyright 2023 The Upper Cumberland Business Journal. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
