A popular vacation spot, Wilmington is known nationally for its beaches and tourism. But around Halloween, Wilmington becomes home to two of the biggest and most intense Halloween attractions in the state: North Carolina Battleship’s Ghost Ship and the Panic Attack Haunted Attraction.

NC BATTLESHIP GHOST SHIP ATTRACTION

Ghost Ship is in its fourth year hosted by the USS North Carolina Battleship. According to programs director Danielle Wallace, “The attraction was originally about the paranormal activity aboard the ship, but we realized visitors really wanted a haunted house. Ghost Ship is now a combination of the two: haunted house and the paranormal activity.”

The attraction is the battleship’s biggest fundraiser of the year as programs aboard the ship are funded by fundraisers and donations, not the city of Wilmington.

Kicking off the ghost ship attraction are the Carolina Ghostbusters from Charlotte, N.C. “The battleship contacted us after one of their staff had seen the car (Ecto One),” said Ghostbuster Chuck Carte.

The team of five has been together for two and a half years doing various promotions in and around the state, including weddings, birthday parties, charity events and paranormal investigations.

“We’ve done weddings where the bride and groom have had their model on top of the cake and the Stay Puff marshmallow man climbing to the top,” said Ghostbuster Doc Geressy.  “We’ve done more weddings than birthday parties lately. It seems that those who grew up with Ghostbusters are in that age group.”

But they’re not only known for their Ghostbuster team. Member Cheralyn Lambeth has written a book entitled “Haunted Theaters of the Carolinas.” Lambeth’s novel includes information about Thalian Hall in downtown Wilmington.

The Carolina Ghostbusters can be contacted through their website at CarolinaGhostbusters.com which proclaims, “We’re ready to believe you!”

Visitors will walk through the battleship in the dark, on the lookout for paranormal activity and zombies. “The zombie actors are mostly from UNCW student organizations,” said Wallace.

Zombie actors or not, most visitors claim to experience some amount of paranormal activity. “I have had a lot of actors and guests tell me that they believe they saw the real ghost(s) during ghost ship. The things they have described were not part of the show,” said Wallace. “When you’re on the ship enough, you get to where you can tell something is going on.” 

Port City Paranormal has visited the North Carolina Battleship on numerous occasions, both as an investigation team and during the Ghost Ship attraction. Jane Anderson of Port City Paranormal said, “You never know what you’re going to see on the battleship. It’s definitely haunted.”

Anderson and her team have reported seeing apparitions, hearing whistling, footsteps and music. “The spirits have been known to answer our questions,” said Anderson.

Port City Paranormal has been working on identifying the main entities aboard the ship. “We’ve identified three spirits so far, two of which were killed when the torpedo hit in 1942 and one that died during an accident earlier in the ship’s history,” said Anderson.

Both employees of the battleship and of Port City Paranormal have agreed upon the appearance of what they call the Shadow Man.

“I have had my own personal ghost experiences aboard the ship. Almost every employee here has had some paranormal experience,” said Wallace. “During rehearsals for Ghost Ship, I heard running down the passage and I’ve also seen the Shadow Man.”

According to Port City Paranormal, the Shadow Man is the ghost of a man killed during the torpedo hit of 1942. “Most people think ghosts would stay in the area where they died,” said Anderson. “But this ghost seems to have run of the ship. He shows up wherever he wants.”

For those hoping to see an apparition during the Ghost Ship attraction, Anderson said, “It’s almost like you have to be in the right frame of mind (to experience a haunting). We, as people, dismiss a lot of what we see as a trick of the eye.”

And for attendees waiting in line, Physical Grafeeti, a dance group from UNCW, will be doing the “Thriller” dance every 20 minutes on the main deck.

“Hopefully, guests will leave with some chills and thrills which always equal a fun and great time,” said Wallace.

Ghost Ship will be open Fridays and Saturdays from 7 to 10 p.m. throughout the month of October.  Tickets are $10 and it is recommended that all guests be in line before 9:30 p.m. to ensure they experience the full attraction.

“Ghost ship is Ghostbuster tested, Ghostbuster approved,” said Carte.

PANIC ATTACK

With humble beginnings as a haunted hayride known as Backwoods Fright Farm, Panic Attack Haunted Attraction has taken Wilmington and the surrounding area by storm.

Owners Anthony Long and Jeremy Neer moved the attraction to Wilmington last year after running the hayride for eight years in Kakina, N.C., a small town outside of Whiteville.

“Our haunted hayride was made completely out of WalMart stuff,” said Long. “We didn’t charge admission at first but as popularity with the hayride grew, we began to charge a few bucks. We put everything we made back into the attraction and it kind of grew from there.”

From a 100-acre farm on family land, Long and Neer’s haunted attraction has gained an extensive fan base, and it’s one that promises to keep growing.

MTV’s “Teen Mom” was filming on site October 14. “They contacted us,” said Long. “One of the girls was attending Panic Attack that weekend and they wanted to film her going through.”

With fans coming from out of state already and over 6,000 likes on Facebook, MTV coverage will result in national coverage.

But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Panic Attack. There were some issues with city code enforcement earlier this season. “We have installed handicap ramps, everything has been sprayed with fire retardant prior to opening, and our parking lot now has portable toilets with CD players. You heard me right, CD players,” said Long.

“The city has worked with us though.” Contrary to rumors that the city didn’t want the attraction in town, Long said, “Wilmington does want us here.”

Because of Panic Attack’s temporary zoning permit, the attraction is only open fourteen days out of the month. “We are hoping to eventually be open for special occasions,” said Long. These special occasions may include dates such as Friday the 13th or possibly a Nightmare Before Christmas.

In the meantime, Panic Attack has expanded into new building space. With the original haunted house still intact, they have added a whole new house that includes aspects of the float the owners previewed in the Azalea Festival this past year.

There will be a Temple of Terror, Hall of Kings and a Freak Farm, along with live snakes. Visitors will also have the chance to purchase items from the gift shop and while there will be a wait, the queue line is now inside the haunted house. This gives attendees something to look at, watch and be scared by while waiting to enter. 

“We have plans for handling the amount of people quicker than last year,” said Long.

“This expansion has doubled the size of Panic Attack,” said Andrea Schimidt, actor coordinator for the attraction. “We’ve gotten a lot of actors back from last year and a variety of new ones from the university, extras from ‘One Tree Hill,’ and the community.”

Scareactors, as volunteers and paid actors are called, audition for parts and are instructed to stay in character no matter what.

Long said he has dressed in shorts, a T-shirt and a bloody face during actor orientation just to prove a point. “The costumes are cool, some are as pricy as $3000, but it’s all about the actor. I tell the actors not to stay in front of the guests too long, that’s when they start to notice your Nikes. They begin to point out little things like that and they’re not scared anymore.”

Jasmine Addison, a zombie monster, auditioned for Panic Attack as a means of meeting new people. “I’m usually very reserved and girly. Working with Panic Attack has brought out a whole new aspect of my personality,” she said.

With 80 to 100 actors on site every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, Long said he hopes that attending Panic Attack will become a yearly tradition. “Like when families go the Christmas tree park every year, they’ll think Halloween and then Panic Attack!” he said.

“People think this job is all fun and games but it’s also a lot of hard work,” said Addison. “My throat and body are sore, the costumes become hot very fast and some customers like to hit when scared. But the experience is worth it. I love the people I work for and with and I love the company. I’d do it every year if I could.”

Panic Attack operates on the idea of pushing the limits.

And while there won’t be any more expansion coming in future years, Long said the area they have will be revised for new attractions annually.

“We’re going to keep pushing the limits,” said Long. “We like to keep ‘em scared, keep ‘em coming.”

Panic Attack will be open Thursdays from 6 to 11 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 6 to 12 p.m. throughout the month of October. They will also be open on Halloween night. Tickets are $23 individually and $30 for a fast pass. Visit their website at Panicattackhaunt.com for more details.