Ghostbusters haunted house brings back old-school carnival scares

Cosplayer Alodia Gosiengfiao (center) graces the launhc of the Ghostbusters haunted house attraction at Enchanted Kingdom. Photo: Yvette Tan

“Don’t touch the ghosts and the ghosts won’t touch you.”

This was the warning we got practically every step of the way before we entered Enchanted Kingdom’s newest attraction.

Ghostbusters Adventure Live! isn’t a ride; it’s an old-school horror house where groups of eight get to walk through a tunnel full of scares. And it’s quite fun.

The horror house is based on the latest movie. It takes guests through the firehouse and the Chinese takeout place that serves as the Ghostbusters' headquarters in the film.

The guides were all good-natured, the girls wearing jumpsuits from the new movie, the guys wearing jumpsuits from the old one.

We were first brought into a waiting room by an usher who explained the rules, the most important of which was not to touch the ghosts. This prompted a barrage of questions from my companions, such as:

“What if the ghost makes the first move? Am I allowed to make the second move?”

“Can you guys bust the spirits of my past?”

“Is there anything you can do about the skeletons in my closet?”

After gamely answering our questions, we were led into the horror house, where we had to walk single-file until the exit.

I’m not a fan of horror houses, mainly because I’m scared of the ghosts reaching out to grab me. Being assured from the start that there was no touching involved was a big help, and freed my thoughts enough so that I could concentrate on enjoying the walkthrough, which I did, immensely.

Ghostbusters Adventure Live! is the kind of activity best done with a group of friends. The noisier the group, the better. The less seriously everyone takes themselves, the more fun. The quirkier the group, the funnier the experience. If you have that one joker who likes making a fool of themselves, put them in the front of the line. You’re guaranteed to get a lot of laughs.

The fun Ghostbusters Adventure Live! supplies doesn’t necessarily come from the walkthrough itself; it comes from the interaction between friends, the holding on to each other, the screaming, and yes, the scaring. If your barkada find yourselves in Enchanted Kingdom, this attraction is worth a visit. — BM, GMA News