“Love Bites” Valentine’s Haunt with Frightmaze Productions

Let’s be honest. Date or no date; dining out on Valentine’s Day is a pain. Regardless of reservation, every restaurant is crowded and full of stressed out couples putting way too much pressure on the outcome of one evening. Add to that a slew of overpriced menus as restaurants try to sell a “Valentine’s Dinner” option, and you can understand why my husband and I often opt to celebrate in the comfort of our home. BUT that was before I learned about Frightmaze Production’s annual Valentine’s Day haunted house. This year’s theme is “Love Bites.” I had the opportunity to tour the maze with the company’s creator, Charles Hughes, and I am so excited to tell you about it!

About Frightmaze Productions 

Charles and Sondra Hughes began Frightmaze Productions in 2005 by organizing a spooky trail for their children’s Halloween parties. Since then their yearly haunts have continued to grow from neighborhood trick-or-treater’s to winning first place at the 2015 Lakeland Zombiefest. Today’s permanent location hosts a growing number of annual haunted events. Amazingly, the Hughes operate their events with a passionate team of volunteers. It takes 25-30 volunteers per evening to ensure success, including ticket sales, make-up, and scaractors. What an incredible show of dedication, loyalty, and support from the local community!

2019 Halloween Event “House of Voodoo” 

Admittedly, I had not heard of Frightmaze Productions until last year’s Halloween event. This isn’t that surprising since I live about an hour and a half away from their Merritt Island home, but I was blown away by the attention to detail and creativity shown in this haunt. I attended with my regular Halloween-going partner. She loves horror just as much as I do, but we look for very different things when experiencing a new haunt. I’m impressed by story-telling and theming. She’s looking for jump scares. Frightmaze offers an incredible blend of these aspects, and it is the ONLY haunted house that has satisfied us both.

If you want to learn more about their Halloween event, watch the video below!

​2020 Valentine’s Event “Love Bites”

The style of their Valentine’s event will be very similar to the Halloween version. There will be one trail with several different rooms. Instead of a cohesive theme, each scene tells its own complete story. This allows guests to experience several different stories and characters during their visit. Actors will interact with guests and each other before sending visitors into the next scene. While the actual time inside the haunt may vary, every guest will have the opportunity for full and unique encounters within each room. ​

While some of the scenes for “Love Bites” will use the same sets as the 2019 Halloween event, they will be utilized in completely different ways. Rooms will feature unique characters and every scene has received some “loving” twists with Valentine’s decor or extra enhancements. Guests can expect to visit Elizabeth Bathory soaking in the blood of her many virgin victims, a kidnapped love interest, one disturbing medical procedure, as well as vampires, werewolves, and other recognizable creatures. ​Oh, and don’t be surprised if some (particularly one) scenes include a few sexual overtones. It is Valentine’s Day after all.

If their Halloween event is any indication, you won’t want to miss this homegrown, horror-filled experience! “Love Bites” will only be open for Valentine’s weekend, so make your plans now!