The Halloween season in Springfield offers a variety of different events and activities, including a season favorite — haunted houses. A longtime haunted attraction in the city is the Hotel of Terror, located in a building that dates back all the way to the early 1900s when it opened as a hotel. In 1978, the place was transformed into a horror attraction, and today it features tight hallways, spooky animatronics and jump scares by costumed staff.
The Hotel of Terror, located on Main Ave., stands out since it's located in the middle of an area currently under construction. The building has been impacted by the Renew Jordan Creek project underway in the downtown area.
The owner and founder of the Hotel of Terror, Sterling Mathis, was offered $2 million for his building by the City of Springfield in the past year, he said. But Mathis claimed that wasn't enough for him to be able to move the business to a new location. As of now, negotiations are ongoing for the purchase of the building, said Kristan Milam, a spokesperson for the City of Springfield.
"This purchase is instrumental to the Main Avenue Bridge replacement project, which is being approached as a separate project from the ongoing Renew Jordan Creek phase I construction," she said. "Without the replacement of the bridge, Main Avenue may have to be closed to traffic in the near future and there will be little reduction in historic flooding in the area as the current nearly 100-year-old-bridge creates a stormwater bottleneck."
Recent rains have led to flooding due to the nearby construction, according to Mathis, and that's caused damage to the basement floor.
Despite that, the Hotel of Terror is fully staffed and offering thrills to visitors.
Guests walk through tight hallways and climb steep stairways. Jump scares are caused by animatronics of all varieties in the horror genre and many workers dressed in scary costumes.
Mathis said he hires people each August and that many workers return each year to work at the Hotel of Terror. Some get their acting start there: One of the past workers at the haunted attraction, Kevin Keppy, has gone on to star in several big horror movie productions like “Smile” and “Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities”.
With the place being as old as it is, one might wonder if there are spooky goings-on there not caused by humans. Mathis claimed that there are. He said the most common experience people report is seeing the spirit of a little girl in white. The spirit is not aggressive and often gets more active when the attraction is open, he said.
Mathis has engaged paranormal crews and psychics after experiences he's had in the space. He claimed that the third floor appears to be the most haunted. On a recent tour, Mathis and I heard strange sounds and witnessed an animatronic activating unexpectedly.
The Hotel of Terror offers guests a thrilling Halloween experience. It's perfect for people who enjoy being scared, and it's a way to get into the spirit of Halloween ahead of the actual day. The attraction opened September 12 and will be open for the season through November 1.
Guests who want more scares can take a hearse ride or hay ride between the Hotel of Terror and Mathis's other attraction, Dungeons of Doom.