Netherworld at 30: 2 new haunts, no ‘terrifying’ haunt for kids, more than 8 guests

STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — 30 years of scares, 30 years of screams, and 30 years of amazing haunts; that’s what Netherworld celebrates in 2026.

“It’s crazy that we, 30 years (in); it’s almost incomprehensible, actually,” co-founder Billy Messina said.

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In 2026, Netherworld Haunted House brings legendary monsters, larger-than-life sets and mind-blowing technology to Stone Mountain for 2 haunts.

A lot has changed from 1997 in Kennesaw.

“In year one, we built our first spinning tunnel,” co-founder Ben Armstrong told WSB-TV’s Nelson Hicks. The spinning tunnel was 20 feet long. Our current one is 40 feet long, but it would break all the time. So sometimes we’d have to go underneath it when people were coming by; we’d have to lie on our backs like a hamster and spin the thing when the motor didn’t work.”

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The spinning tunnel still opens the gateway to the Netherworld, though co-creators Ben Armstrong and Billy Messina rely on machines rather than monsters to handle the spinning these days.

The duo did something dynamic back when they originally opened. Rather than relying on licensed characters like Freddy and Jason, they created their own. That worked. But not all of their ideas did.

“We quickly learned that people could adapt to no Jason and no Leatherface. They were confused, but they could not, under any circumstances, understand why there were no chainsaws. So we learned, and by the third weekend we had a couple of chainsaws roaring,” Messina said.

You’ll find chainsaw-wielding monsters within the two all-new haunts that await guests this year: “Curse of the Collector” and “Beyond Oblivion, Legacy of Evil.” Tens of thousands of guests will experience the attraction in its 30th season. That’s a far cry from its first season, when one of the biggest scares was the attendance one night.

“I remember one night when we only had eight people that came through. And that was due to a TV show called ”Seinfeld," which, you know, means nothing to folks nowadays because you can watch anything, anytime. But back then, if you missed the TV show, you kind of missed it,” Messina said.

One thing that’s not missed today is opening the haunt for kids. Messina and Armstrong tested that in year one. It didn’t last.

“The kids were instantly terrified, despite the fact that all the lights were on. We gave away prizes, like every kid came in, and it was just, they came in from the hot, bright Georgia sunlight, and they walked into this haunted house. And even though the lights were blaring on, their eyes didn’t adjust, so it was immediately dark, and it was terrifying,” Messina said.

Netherworld is now open nearly every day between now and Halloween.

“It’s a lot of fun to be here at 30,” Armstrong noted. “And now, I’m kind of excited for 35 and 40. Fifty (years)? That’s going to get interesting.”

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