Legendary
At The Beast, “our applause comes in the form of screams,” says vice president Amber Arnett-Bequeaith. Referred to as “Scare Central” in Kansas City, Missouri’s historic West Bottoms neighborhood, The Beast is a haunted attraction operated by Full Moon Productions (a family business, not to be confused with the Charles Band company, that has expanded over the generations). The psychology of fear and phobias prevail over gore in this haunted house; your senses are affected by light and darkness, and the emphasis is on subtle psychological horrors—which Full Moon studies very closely, monitoring their guests’ reactions and doing year-long research into new methods of terrifying their customers.
“Scaring is not easy,” according to third-generation owner Arnett-Bequeaith. “It has to do with timing and being able to read body language.” Fear, she says, is biochemical and emotional; the sweating, adrenaline, and rapid heart rate all indicate that you are terrified, which is the goal of The Beast. It has a reputation for being one of the largest and absolute scariest haunts ever created.
Arnett-Bequeaith’s family began Full Moon’s legacy in 1975 with an attraction called The Edge of Hell, the longest-running haunt in the entire United States, which subjects customers to demonic consequences for their earthly transgressions. When The Beast was added in 1991, it was what she calls “a shakeup,” in that it has an open format; there is no straight line that all guests walk along. They instead wander through scenes without guidance or guardrails, and a creature, killer, or ghost (or just about anything else) can pop out at any time, from any direction, and there may be no other people nearby.
Past Awards
Hauntworld's "2010 Top 13" rates Kansas City's
"The Beast" as one of "America's Most Scariest Haunted Houses"
AOL CityGuide’s 2006 picks for the Top 13 Haunted Houses: #10. The Beast
(Kansas City, MO)
Richard Christy's Top 5 Haunted Houses
5. Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Pen., Philly, PA
4. Field Of Screams, Lancaster, PA
3. Shocktoberfest, Reading, PA
2. The Edge of Hell and The Beast, Kansas City, MO
Halloween Horror Nights, Orlando, FL
http://www.richardchristy.com
Ink Magazine (10/15/08)
Macabre Cinema – A-
Chambers of Edgar Allan Poe – B-
The Edge of Hell – C+
The Beast – B
HauntWorld - 2008 Top 13 Haunted Attractions
(Other haunts not nominated that should be considered in 2009)
Editor Choice: The Beast
Editor Choice: The Edge of Hell
Hauntworld's "2010 Top 13" rates Kansas City's
"The Beast" as one of "America's Most Scariest Haunted Houses"
What tends to scare people the most is the unexpected. These places are pretty unexpected!
– Time.com (2010)
One of the finest haunts is the 100,000 square foot behemoth known as the Beast. It’s ghost effects rival those of Disney’s Haunted Mansion, and visitors exit the building via a four-story slide. It’s all unforgettable!
– Time.com (2010)
Rated Best in Horror, Scariest, Most Terrifying, Thrillingly Fun Haunted Houses in the U.S.
– HauntedHouseRatings.com -- Top 31 Haunted Houses (2009)
The Beast may well be one of the largest haunts I have ever gone through.
– HauntWorld (October 2009)
The expanse of these scenes is stunning!
– HauntWorld (October 2009)
The Beast is just insanely huge, and the open format scenes are absolutely original.
– HauntWorld (October 2009)
The Beast Haunted House is ranked #1
– HauntWorld - 2008 Top 13 Haunted Attractions
– Editor Choice: The Beast
#10 The Edge of Hell and #2 The Beast, Kansas City, MO
– AOL CityGuide’s 2006 picks for the Top 13 Haunted Houses
“A haunted house is like a horror movie and you are figuring out the story as you walk through it.”
– Time.com (October 31, 2006)
Judging from the screams that pour out of them, there’s some seriously scary stuff going on inside!
– Dodge Magazine (2005)