This Halloween, be prepared for Grimlock Manor, a local, professionally-designed haunted house attraction that has been six months in the making.
“It has been a long process of development – over six months – and we will be opening up on Friday Oct. 30 and go through Nov. 1, said Jason Diorio, who is overseeing the event. “I work full-time Monday through Friday as a designer in the city, and so it has been all long nights and weekends since March, with a few hours each weeknight and then Saturday and Sunday all day.”
The attraction, to be held at 1 Safety Place in Metuchen off Route 27, is expected to be on the level of Disney’s Haunted Mansion, with 25 percent of the proceeds going towards supporting Metuchen EMS. It has been a labor of love for Diorio, 29, who works as a graphic designer in New York. The majority of the props are custom-made, and almost nothing is store-bought.
“You are not going to walk into the attraction to see something that you can get from any of the Halloween stores,” said Diorio, who also has extensive work experience in the entertainment industry, having worked with MTV and Nickelodeon. “It is pretty close to being all-original, and hopefully it will be something new that people haven’t seen before. We are hoping for 500 people each night of the run, and so far response has been good.”
His partner in the project is friend Matt Holt, and the two have split evenly the extensive costs of developing the attraction. Diorio has been building haunted houses for years, but this is the first time he has had a chance to develop something of this scale.
“Whether it was at someone’s house or apartment, or in the backyard, or even a park nearby where we had to get a permit, we have set up little shows and invited friends and family to come out to enjoy those shows,” said Diorio, a Hopelawn resident. “We’ve had friends tell us how much they enjoyed those experiences and that we should expand it and open it up to everyone in our area.”
“There has always been a lack of places to go to in the Middlesex County area, especially in Metuchen, and I was wondering why people weren’t doing something of the same level of quality and detail here,” he said. “I wanted to do it and open it up to the public. I had some connections to the local EMS and appreciate the volunteer effort they do, and I wanted the event to have a connection with a charitable cause as well. I approached Metuchen EMS in March, and they were in support of it. We then proceeded to develop the storyline of Griswald Grimlock, who owns this manor, as we didn’t want a run of the mill haunt with Freddie and Jason – we wanted a story that was original.”
The Attraction
The backstory to Grimlock Manor is as follows. In his younger years, Griswald Grimlock and his wife were avid travelers who would go on archaeological digs and explore the world, and that was how they made their money – millions of dollars of money. But his wife, Lucilla, died unexpectedly, and no amount of money he had could compare to his love for her. So Grimlock hired a team of paranormal researchers to bring his wife back to life. However, the machine that was to open the portal to the other side has now gone haywire, bringing over to this side all types of ghouls and ghosts. You, as someone coming to the haunt, will join the paranormal team whose mission is to shut the machine down
“It took time to concept the idea and get the images in our heads that we wanted for the characters,” Diorio said. “After we created the story, we then determined what kinds of rooms to put in the haunted house, and what kinds of props and illusions to build. Once we did that, it was a matter of working on the set-pieces. When you see Metuchen EMS’ hall from the outside, you may not expect to see so much, but we have re-created the whole hall with partitions on the inside, with all different kinds of rooms and wall panels. Building it has been a handful, as 10 to 12 people have been giving up their time on weekends and nights, doing everything from tombstones to wall panels. We want the level of detail to be quite high, and we ultimately want to scare you because that is what these kinds of attractions are for.”
“We don’t have the run of the mill ghouls and ghosts,” he said. “Griswald is a millionaire with a clean-cut, but somewhat warped appearance, the result of his interaction with the machine. You will meet him as you make your way through the attraction. Lucilla is beautiful, but in a dead sort of way. You will also meet the professor who invented the portal machine. He is still trying to shut the machine down, and he will grab you into the experience. There have also been some paranormal researchers trapped in the haunt, both on the living and dead side, along with a few creatures that have been pulled in from the other side by the machine.”
Specifically, Grimlock Manor will have seven main rooms, with a series of corridors adjoining them, along with a total of 20 to 25 characters each night on-hand, both inside and outside the haunted house.
“It is a very story-driven haunted house,” Diorio said. “I throw it back to Disney’s Haunted Mansion as far as the things you will see, ranging from the ram’s head on the wall, to the smoke-stained mirrors all over the place and the low-lying candelabras with flickering lights. But the seventh and final room is the one to see. All I can say is that it definitely has to do with the machine and the portal, and it is probably our best ending to any of the haunts we have done.”
Those waiting to enter the attraction will be treated to various examples of live entertainment while waiting in line. In addition to the haunted house, there will also be a separate outside attraction, a graveyard and crypt.
“That will be a little more on the humorous and fun side for those not adventurous enough to go into the haunted house,” Diorio said. “Our crypt keepers will give you a guided tour of the cemetery, which will have ancient ruins on the grounds along with a few ghouls and ghosts. There are also definitely some things we want to keep hidden for now that we will let you find for yourself.”
The attraction will run the evenings of Oct. 30, Oct. 31, and Nov. 1 from 7 – 11 p.m. each night. Tickets can be purchased at the door. Cash only, no credit. Prices are $8 for adults 13 and older, or $5 for children 12 and younger. The price will gain you admission to Grimlock Manor as well as the graveyard and crypt outside. Otherwise, for a $2 admission ticket, you can get a guided tour of the graveyard only. A discount will also be available for those in a group of 20 or more if they register in advance. A coupon good for $2 off the adult admission ticket for the evening of Oct. 30 only can be accessed here.
You can contact Grimlock Manor by calling (721) 710-6790 or via email at jason@grimlockmanor.com.
Metuchen EMS
Twenty-five percent of the proceeds from Grimlock Manor will go to benefit Metuchen EMS, an all-volunteer organization with only limited funding from the borough, via an annual stipend. The organization consists of about 20 volunteers who ride regularly, and they respond personally to more than 600 calls each year. They are on-call from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Mon-Sat, and all day Sunday. (The approximately 400 total annual calls for emergency medical help during the week day in Metuchen are contracted out to Edison township’s EMS services).
“People are under the impression that we are a borough entity, and they assume we are supported by the borough like the fire department, but we are not,” said Metuchen EMS President Lisa Garris. “Though we are grateful for the stipend that we do receive from the borough, we are essentially a stand-alone corporation that runs off donations from the public. We do an annual fund drive in November, and we send a letter to all residents and businesses in town. That is where the bulk of our money comes from, though like everyone else we have been hit hard by the economy – we are down about 20 percent from last year.”
The money raised pays for insurance costs, vehicle and building maintenance, and uniforms and supplies, among other things.
Moreover, the state government currently funds the cost of new volunteer EMTs to undergo training via a $0.50 surcharge on all moving violations, but the future of that training fund remains uncertain.
“That fund may be tapped into by the state,” Garris said. “It hasn’t yet affected our ability to be reimbursed for training, but if we have to start paying for training that will be an even bigger hit for us.”
Metuchen EMS will also hold their annual Breakfast with Santa fund drive on Dec. 13. Last year, the organization served breakfast to 500 people at their headquarters at 1 Safety Place.
“It’s a fundraiser done completely by Metuchen EMS volunteers where we serve pancakes and sausages, and kids can come out and speak to Santa,” Garris said. “Last year it brought in quite a bit of money, and we are hoping for at least as many people this year. Some very generous people in Metuchen have helped us as well. For example, Raymond John Salon on Main Street did a cut-a-thon over the summer where 100 percent of the proceeds from all the day’s haircuts went to Metuchen EMS.”
Since there is no financial reward, Garris said she and the other squad members volunteer simply because they “like helping people.”
“It is a good thing to do, and it feels good to do, and it’s a way for me to give back to my community,” said Garris, who has lived in Metuchen for the last nine years. Her husband Todd also volunteers as a Metuchen police auxiliary officer. “Along with the volunteering, I enjoy going out to the parades and meeting the people. There is nothing that beats the feeling of walking by people clapping and mouthing ‘Thank you,’ and that’s a good reward for me. We don’t do it for money, but it’s a good feeling to help people, and when they do show their appreciation like that it’s a really nice feeling.”
Metuchen EMS welcomes volunteers. You can apply via the organization’s website, by stopping by the building to pick up an application, or by calling (732) 906-9549 and leaving a message. Metuchen EMS also has a banquet hall that is available for rent seven nights a week, for $250/night Monday to Thursday and $350/night Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It has been used in the past for birthday parties, christenings, graduation parties, baby showers, and battle of the bands.
