Step inside 'Most Influential Haunted House of All Time' in Atlanta

STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — When the calendar flips to October, it's time for monsters, mayhem and massive haunted houses in Atlanta and no one does it quite like Netherworld.

PHOTOS: Behind the scenes at Netherworld Haunted House

"We have two new haunts, Night of the Gorgon and Cold Blooded," co-owner Ben Armstrong told wsbtv.com's Nelson Hicks. "One is twisted, mythology, a traditional haunted house (with) all kinds of crazy monstrosities and a lot of creatures that have been turned to stone. And in Cold Blooded, there are dinosaurs, reptilians, it is madness of a science-fiction sort."

The popular attraction is in the midst of its 23rd season of scares. And the awards have continued to pour in. Hauntworld Magazine calls Netherworld the "Most Influential Haunted House of All Time."  It's been featured on the Travel Channel, in the Wall Street Journal and on Fangoria.

Netherworld returns to Stone Mountain this year. The haunt routinely named as America's top haunted attraction moved from its longtime home in Norcross after the 2017 season. Armstrong and co-owner Billy Messina bought the Stone Mountain property where it debuted last year.

"This year, we thought it was going to be easier, but it was really hard because we were sinking in roots," Armstrong said. "We were adding so much stuff. We still had truckloads of things to put into the haunt and we did."

There are some new attractions at Netherworld to check out, too. There's the new Laser Adventure Battle Arena, which is open year-round and features advanced laser tag battle rifles and a complex themed outdoor arena full of mazes, forts and interactive elements. Netherworld is now home to four escape games and a midway filled with games, food trucks, a foam room and monsters.

With the additions, Netherworld is now like a miniature theme park. The operation includes 500 seasonal employees and 4,000 costumes. It now encompasses more than 70,000 square feet of scary space.

Cox Media Group