Blog - Page 20 of 35 - Thrillvania

Why Do So Many People Have A Fear Of The Number 13?

Of course, we know why people fear the haunted house at Thrillvania in DFW. We’ve packed it full of every monstrous terror you can imagine. But why do so many people fear the number 13? After all, it’s just two tiny little digits and they don’t even amount to much. Or do they?

In a survey conducted in 2003 by the Stress management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, 2,068 people were questioned and 25% of them firmly associated the number 13 with bad luck.

These people also were more likely to experience high levels of anxiety on days like Friday the 13^th and that anxiety made them more prone to accidents, thus increasing their anxiety even more and cementing their belief that bad things always happen on the 13^th – especially if it’s a Friday.

But why, in this modern world of smartphones, HDTV and world-wide Internet access, do we still have this unholy fear of the number 13? Certainly we’ve advanced to the point where we no longer allow superstition to rule our lives, haven’t we?

Centuries ago, we developed triskaidekaphobia, an extreme superstition regarding the number 13, based on Christian teachings. That silly, two-digit number was to be feared because there were 13 months in the pagan calendar and those who practiced paganism were destined for Hell. Thirteen was also an unholy number because there were 12 witches in a coven and the 13^th person was the devil.

According to mathematicians, the number 13 is “incomplete” and “restless or squirmy” because it comes after the number 12. Think about it. There are 12 months in a year, 12 signs in the zodiac, 12 eggs in a carton and Jesus had 12 apostles. When we think “12” we think “complete.” When we think “13” we think odd or strange.

These days, people don’t fear the number 13 because they’re afraid of witches or the devil or curses. We learn to fear that silly two-digit number at an early age when our parents and friends tell us that it’s supposed to be an unlucky number, so we lie awake at night, anticipating an untimely death on Friday the 13th.

In fact, this fear of the number 13 is still so strong that more than 80 percent of high-rise buildings don’t have a 13^th floor. Many hospitals and hotels still don’t have a room number 13, and airports still skip over gate 13.

Of course, there are those who thumb their noses at the number 13 and can’t wait for something bad to happen on Friday the 13^th so they can poke fun at the office triskaidekaphobe. We’re in their camp and we hope nobody every breaks this 13-link chain of fear. After all, that’s what Thrillvania’s all about.

If you’re with us, and you’re brave enough to come out from under the covers, we invite you to join us at Cutting Edge Haunted House on Friday, June 13, 2014. Listed in the Guinness World Records as the “World’s Largest Walk Through Haunted House” you definitely don’t want to miss their special Friday the 13^th Event!

And don’t forget to start planning your annual trek to Thrillvania Haunted House Park. Located at 2330 County Road 138, Terrell, TX 75161. Contact us at 972-428-9653 for our Fall schedule or bookmark our Schedule page.

Why We Pass Out Candy For Halloween?

Posted by Thrillvania in Haunted House Stories on May 1st, 2014
Tags: Halloween, Trick or Treat

Every year you stock up on Snickers Bars, Smarties and candy corn. You open your door to every ghost, goblin and princess who knocks and you oooh and aaahh over their costumes as you pass out your Halloween candy. You do it because it’s tradition, and it’s fun, but traditions have to start somewhere and this one had a creepy beginning.

Passing out candy to Trick-or-Treaters began way back in the Middle Ages. Each year, on November 2, Christians celebrated All Souls Day, a day to pray for the souls of loved ones who’d passed away.

On the day before All Souls Day., poor people would wander their neighborhoods, knocking on doors, and volunteering to pray for the souls of the residents’ dearly departed loved ones in exchange for food. Homeowners passed out tasty treats – versus bowls of gruel or stale popcorn balls – to ensure they prayers were really said.

As extra insurance against wandering souls who might feel slighted in the prayer department and decide to haunt them for the rest of eternity, homeowners would also leave food on their doorstep that night, in the belief that a well-fed ghost is a happy ghost who’d leave them alone for another year.

During the Middle Ages a tasty treat might have been a loaf of bread and some jam, or an apple or pear or a bunch of grapes. But the urchins who come knocking at your door on Halloween these days would hardly be appeased with these simple treats. In fact, they’d likely toilet paper your house and soap your windows.

A “tasty treat” for today’s Trick-or-Treaters is candy, particularly Snickers Bars, Reese’s Cups and Kit-Kat Bars, and, like our ancestors in the Middle Ages, we’re happy to pass out these treats if it means we won’t be “haunted” by these little devils for another year!

Why Do People Enjoy Being Scared?

Posted by Thrillvania in Haunted House Stories on April 24th, 2014
Tags: Thrillvania Haunted House Park

At Thrillvania Haunted House Park our mission in life is to frighten you. If you run, screaming in terror, then we know we’ve achieved our goal. Knowing that we put our heart and soul and our blood, sweat and tears into scaring you half to death, why then would anyone choose to come through our gates? Because people enjoy being scared!

When you tour our terrifying attractions, you know you’re going to come out alive but your subconscious doesn’t. Deep down inside, your subconscious believes you’re really being faced with a life-or-death situation and your primal “fight or flight” response kicks in.

Many people enjoy being scared because they like how they feel while they’re being frightened out of their wits. That “fight or flight” feeling causes a huge adrenalin rush. Their palms begin to sweat, their heartbeat and breathing rate quicken, and this adrenalin rush makes them feel like they have super-human powers.

As these adrenaline-fueled visitors tour the park they take great pleasure in the fact that they’re able to face our frights head-on. For some, this is their only opportunity to feel bravery.

Many others are drawn to Thrillvania for quite the opposite reason. They are absolutely terrified while touring our attractions and it’s only their strong will and determination that forces them to continue on to the end instead of rushing for the exit. They tolerate this almost-paralyzing fear because they enjoy the feeling of relief they experience when they finally make it out alive.

Of course, all of these reasons – the enjoyment of the adrenalin rush, the feeling of bravey and the feeling of relief – are based on the individual’s belief that they truly will make it all the way through Thrillvania and make it out alive. Tsk. What a pity.