KILLERS: A NIGHTMARE HAUNTED HOUSE Opens in NYC, 9/28-11/3

Two of the nation's most creative forces within the Haunted House industry have announced plans for a major collaboration in New York City this fall. Timothy Haskell, Creator of NIGHTMARE (New York's most horrifying haunted house and AOL CityGuide's No. 1 rated haunted attraction in NYC), and Steve Kopelman, producer of THE NEST (named ABC News / Good Morning America's "Scariest Place in America") will present KILLERS: A NIGHTMARE HAUNTED HOUSE - a horrifying, immersive haunted house experience about our obsession and fascination with serial killers both real and fictional. KILLERS will run September 28 through November 3, 2012 at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center, 107 Suffolk Street between Rivington and Delancey on Manhattan's Lower East Side. For more information, visit www.hauntedhousenyc.com.

Visitors navigating the tormenting labyrinth of KILLERS: A NIGHTMARE HAUNTED HOUSE will encounter various psychopaths, including Ted Bundy, Albert Fish and the Zodiac killer, among others - who are neither sexy or cool - but rather presented for what they are...scary as hell! Focusing on both the perpetrators and their victims, both historical and contemporary, KILLERS sets out to prove that the most haunting experiences are those that are real. There is nothing more frightening than the monsters that walk among us.

As an entree to the larger attraction of KILLERS: A NIGHTMARE HAUNTED HOUSE, a one of its kind gallery exhibit featuring artwork, memorabilia and personal possessions belonging to the worlds most notorious serial killers will be on display.

"Killers will be by far and away the most aggressive, interactive and flat-out scary haunted house NIGHTMARE has ever done," says creator Timothy Haskell. "We don't think these beasts should be glorified or celebrated, only feared. They should be treated as the boogeymen that they are. We make haunted houses. They are supposed to be scary. This will be very, very scary."

"I'm so excited to be partnering with The NIGHTMARE brand," explained Steve Kopelman. "With my expertise in maximizing scares along with this years theme of real serial killers, we're creating a chillingly real environment, unsurpassed in fright level."

Production Design for KILLERS: A NIGHTMARE HAUNTED HOUSE is lead by Paul Smithyman. Art direction is by Justin Haskell and David Hinkle, sound design is by David Roy, costume design is by Candice Thompson, lighting design is by Garin Marshall. Eli Boznick is the director of magical illusions.

For a full schedule of performances visit www.hauntedhousenyc.com. Tickets for KILLERS: A NIGHTMARE HAUNTED HOUSE are $30 - $60 and available at the website, or at the box office prior to each performance.

Timothy Haskell (Creator and Co-Director) recently directed Sex You (I'm Gonna) by Nathan Phillips at the ACE Hotel and then in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this past summer. Other credits include Off-Broadway's Stitching (The Wild Project and The Elephant in Los Angeles), The Jaded Assassin (Ohio Theatre), Fatal Attraction: A Greek Tragedy starring Corey Feldman at the Classic Stage Company, Corporate Rock (Blue Heron Arts Center) and the Paris Hilton spoof I Love Paris by Doug Fields also at the Blue Heron Arts Center. He also co-curated and produced the first ever Fight Festival at The Brick Theatre premiering his new work Last Life that later transferred to the Ohio Theatre. He is perhaps best known for creating and directing the cult hit Road House: The Stage Play, which transferred from Off-Off Broadway to Off-Broadway at the Barrow Street Theatre. Mr. Haskell is also the creator and director of the annual Nightmare: New York's Most Horrifying Haunted House which has run each fall for the past nine years. The most recent installation was Nightmare: Fairy Tales.

Steve Kopelman (Producer) has been actively involved in the Haunted House industry for 30 years. He is currently a producer of haunted attractions in 5 American cities. His accomplishments include production of The Nest Haunted House, selected by Good Morning America and ABC News as "The Scariest Place in America." He has been involved with over 60 haunted attractions in 17 different cities all over the United States, including his work as a producer of Alice Cooper's Welcome to My Nightmare Haunted House. Kopelman and his haunts have been featured on MTV, The Travel Channel, CNN, and The Food Network among others.

John Harlacher (Co-Director) is an actor and director. Acting work includes the indie feature Love Simple; Off-Broadway's Dog Day Afternoon, the revival of Israel Horovitz's Rats, with the Barefoot Theatre Company, of which he is a member; and NEXT! at the HERE art center. Directing work includes Penetrating The Space and Callous Cad at The HERE art center, and the feature film Urchin, which he also wrote. Released theatrically and distributed worldwide, Urchin was banned in Malaysia as a "threat to culture."

Photo credit: Joshua Hoffine