we’ll catch a fox and put him in a box, and then we’ll let him go

It's been something of a wasted week. Some RL issues dragging me down--it's all physical, plus the household is sick, so it's not emotional stress. But today, everything kind of came to a head.

After rising far too late for my normal time slot, I realized I still had that...itch from yesterday. The drive to track down a haunted house and go through it. I think August was so terrible, I just want to rush through September and get to October already.

But the reason doesn't matter. I need some haunting in my life. So we'll start...



...here.

I can't remember if I've covered Blood Island's haunt before; I do know that the blurb on their profile sounds...oddly familiar:

"Inspired by gothic horror, classic Hollywood monster movies, and a desire to explore the hidden erotic side of those stuffy Victorians - the sim features Dracula, Frankenstein, a haunted house, asylum, a city, and more. Lavish, sexy, and very photogenic."

It's also on an Adult sim, just so everyone's aware.

But okay. Let's go see.



I went through Castle Dracula first. There's a side...lounge? Bar area? Just past the formal parlor, with a very fetching Blood Doll who serves blood fresh from the vein. Intriguing, if slightly grisly, hospitality. I hope they're keeping her iron levels up.



As I wandered the rest of the house, hot, fresh glass of blood in hand to sip from, I realized this isn't a typical haunt in the regular sense. And by that I mean, there's no trilling violin swells, there's no spooky screams (though in the Asylum, there are patients moaning), there's nothing that leaps out at us to make us jump and gasp. It's more Addams Family than Saw, is what I'm saying.



There are some hidden doors; I won't ruin what's inside save one caution: be careful in the basement. Things get slightly...explosive...down there.



I only covered two parts of this haunt: Dracula's Castle, which was thoroughly enjoyable, and the Asylum. There are more. I intend to wander and see it all, later on.



The Asylum I've seen before, and by that, I mean the build, the structure itself. It's not a perfect haunt template, though it does communicate, and rather perfectly, abandoned hospitals, abandoned asylums, abandoned medical facilities. So in that sense, it's a good build to choose. It's just not as expansive, due to layout--there just aren't a lot of rooms to haunt, per se.



All in all, these are two lovely places to wander. The landscaping is perfectly seasonal, there are some really impressive views, a few nicely appointed places to sit and snap photos, and...for the more exhibitionistic...some opportunities to shock anyone else wandering through. Still, though, it's very well done, full marks for atmosphere and melancholy. I will definitely return.