What’s so wonderful about Halloween? Well, it’s the least off-the-peg holiday of all. It’s the one time when anyone with a lawn or a dress-up box can be as ghoulishy creative as they like. No mandatory elves or obligatory Easter bunnies here! (btw, check out our Halloween and Dia de los Muertos listings for your horror-related entertainment options).

So now we’re in the final countdown to the day itself. But before the haunting season began, local haunted house attraction The House of Torment gave us some behind-the-scenes access. The House has been having a glorious year: It was voted one of the top 13 haunted attractions in the nation by Hauntworld magazine, and then two of its top-name scarers – Sgt. Grave and the Best of Austin-winning Mr. Creep – were recently invited as part of a monster exchange program to spend a night scaring the punters at Atlanta’s famous Netherworld.

So what does it take to become a nationally-desired monster?

This article appears in October 24 • 2008.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.