$500,000 investment leads to ‘Panic Attack’

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Imagine 11,000 square feet of terror all packed into one place. That’s what’s inside the Panic Attack Haunted Attraction in Wilmington. The warehouse at 16th and Kidder Streets is equipped with Hollywood grade special effects and a whole lot to be scared of.

Panic Attack wasn’t always as big as it is this year. It grew from a tiny seed.

“It started in the small town of Nakina outside Whiteville. A very small town. We had one gas station, one post office, a grill and a couple of churches,” Panic Attack owner Anthony Long said.

The haunted house of horror even has family roots.

“It started on my granddad’s farm, about a 100-acre farm, and we had an agricultural event with a hay ride down to the haunted trail, and from there we went to what it is today: an indoor haunted attraction,” Long said.

This is the first time the event has been held indoors, so Panic Attack is bringing out the big guns.

“We have never done anything of this scale before,” Panic Attack owner Jeremy Neer said. “It’s always been an outdoor event with a hay ride through the woods and stuff like that through the cemetery, but as far as these effects, it’s never been done.”

Putting on a good show at a haunted house takes lots of time, effort, people and cash. About a half million bucks in Panic Attack’s case. But why spend so much on it?

“In order to get that amazement factor and the scare factor, it’s gotta be done right, and if you don’t put the time and effort into it, you won’t get the scare and reaction you want out of the people,” Neer said.

Panic Attack runs each Thursday, Friday and Saturday this month and all Halloween week. Click here for times and ticket information.