For this Halloween season, New Yorkers have the opportunity to experience a chilling new haunt: Jimmy Fallon’s Tonightmares!
Located in the heart of the city, right within the iconic Rockefeller Center, Tonightmares is a completely new spin on the typical haunted house, and introduces characters, environments, and a subplot that will make your spine tingle.
I had the wonderful opportunity to try out Tonightmares, and me being a horror-flick junkie, my adrenaline was already pumping before I even went inside. Toted as a haunted maze experience, I was excited to see what new concepts this Jimmy Fallon-backed project brought to the table. As I entered the location, conveniently located in one of New York’s busiest and most recognizable spots, Rockefeller Center, I realized that the attention to detail was instantly noticeable.
The mad scientist room Courtesy of NBCUniversal
All of the employees were extremely passionate and added greatly to the experience as they explained what exactly to expect inside—”you’re going to be trapped in Jimmy Fallon’s dreaaaammmm,” one explained. “Whatever you do, don’t lose your guide, NBC Nancy!”
Who exactly NBC Nancy was became immediately clear upon entering the maze. After a short “elevator ride” that simulates a freefall and an eventual crash into the land of dreams, we were greeted by Nancy: a hunchbacked old woman who hobbled ahead and led us through the rooms. She urged us to follow quickly, beckoning us to escape the maze with a certain imperativeness that fueled the creepiness; it felt as if we were being chased. Running through ten different rooms, each prefaced by Jimmy explaining what aspect of his dream we would encounter, the chills were excellent. The general space in each room was also minimal, which only compounded my fears with claustrophobia, which made it even worse.
Oh no! Aliens!
Courtesy of NBCUniversal
So much was being done behind the scenes to set the mood: eerie music, and amazing set design. Room after room, we were transported to another location straight out of my nightmares. A corn field with scarecrows. A gas station with enraged hillbillies. An office floor with rogue killer AI robots. I loved and savored every single room.
I have to specifically point out how amazing the theatrics were. The sets were completely convincing, and had so much detail, like authentic looking signs on the wall, and debris and trash strewn about, that as I entered each room, I completely dove into the narrative that it was showing me. The scariest rooms by far were the ones that had some degree of the story; in particular, I loved the 1950s talk show turned werewolf story bit, and this was followed by one of the most genuinely terrifying scares afterward. Special acknowledgment has also got to be given to the actors, who did a phenomenal job perpetuating jump scares and acting horrifying. Their makeup and clothes design was also on point, and beautifully done (I would have take more time to admire these details but I was being chased.) In the end, the storytelling, set piece design, and actors were all executed masterfully.
Afterward, we convened at the local bar Smith & Mills for a reception, and this is where I was able to converse with several of the other people that had also just tried the haunted maze. Sipping on a concoction specifically made for this event, a specialty cocktail called Zombie Blood, made of prime mezcal, I heard the perspectives of others. Long story short, Tonightmares was a resounding success, and every single individual I talked to animatedly described how scared they were and how this was simply one of the best haunted houses they had ever been to. Every person could not recommend it enough and was even down to visit again.
Jimmy Fallon’s Tonightmares is simply a machine of pure terror. Everything from the set design to the actors has been implemented amazingly and contributes to the overall creepiness of the maze. If you are a fan of horror and in the NYC area this fall, definitely consider visiting Tonightmares, running between September 20th and October 31st on certain nights.
