The world’s longest and scariest haunted house is not for the faint-hearted.
Japan’s Fuji-Q Highland theme park is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, and to help celebrate the milestone event, a variety of exciting projects are being held.
▼ Fuji-Q Highland sometimes goes by the name “Fujikyu Highland” as it’s run by the Fujikyu group.
One of the highlights is the re-opening of “Labyrinth of Fear — the Ward Lurking in the Darkness“, which, according to the park, is “the world’s longest and scariest haunted house“.
This terrifying labyrinth is set in a hospital, so the entrance to the area is marked by a Japanese sign that reads “慈急総合病院” (“Jikyu Sougou Byouin” or “Jikyu General Hospital”).
Our reporter Masanuki Sunakoma had been invited to the hospital to experience the revamped space in person, and as he walked deeper into the area, he felt a shiver run down his spine, despite the summer heat.
His surroundings began to lose the shine of the real world, gradually taking on the look and feel of a world populated by zombies.
This was Masanuki’s first time visiting the Labyrinth of Fear, which has terrified over 5.3 million visitors since it opened in 2013. According to the theme park, the new renovation has made the abandoned hospital feel more real than ever before, and includes several new spaces such as an oral surgery and examination rooms. The long hallway has also been lengthened, so it’s now 55 metres (180 feet) long, reportedly making it the longest hall in a haunted house anywhere.
Just looking at the building from the outside was enough to make Masanuki reel back in fear, because it had the same spooky aura as an abandoned hospital from a video game series like Resident Evil.
It didn’t look like a theme park attraction — it looked like an actual abandoned hospital, making Masanuki cower in fear.
▼ He really didn’t want to go in at all.
Mustering all his courage, Masanuki walked up to the entrance and cautiously stepped inside. What lay beyond these doors was truly terrifying, so if you’re at all squeamish, Masanuki suggests scrolling down past all the gore to the end of the article.
▼ For those of you who aren’t squeamish, welcome to the nightmare…
▼ “Ahhhhhhhhh!”
Masanuki found himself jumping and crying out in the darkness as horrifying beings appeared in front of him. It didn’t help that he was entirely alone, so he had no one to cling to or turn to as the sounds of metallic objects increased and the haunting laughter of children filled his ears.
As if the terrifying sounds weren’t enough, the lights also flickered and glowed, attacking his senses from all angles.
The route through the building is long, so there are exit points along the way where you can retire from the game. Many visitors find the place too terrifying so the doors are often used, and Masanuki had to resist the urge to use them himself.
▼ Masanuki continued in the darkness alone.
▼ He wasn’t alone for long, though, because a figure soon appeared ahead of him…
▼ “Aaaaaaghhhhhh!!!!”
Snapping photos while running for your life past a shadowy figure isn’t easy, but Masanuki managed to do it. He eventually breathed a sigh of relief when he came to an area filled with a frightening display of drawings.
Then it was time to hop in the elevator, where some of his worst fears played out, although he won’t spoil the surprise for you.
Even the more well-lit areas have a sense of fear about them, especially when you learn about the hospital’s backstory, which is said to stretch back to 1893.
Starting out as a small clinic, the establishment gradually expanded in size and reputation, until it was closed in 1989 after a scandal involving organ trafficking and unethical medical experiments involving many victims was discovered.
Now in ruins, the building is filled with the souls of the victims from those days, who still bear strong grudges.
The history of the hospital makes even joyful posters like this one promoting teeth-brushing seem eerie.
There were shocks and fearful encounters at every turn, and the labyrinth-like layout of the two-storey route is so intricate and three-dimensional that you easily lose track of where you are.
After what seemed like an eternity, but in actual fact was 50 minutes, Masanuki finally spotted a light at the end of the tunnel.
It was, as he’d hoped, the door out to the real world, and Masanuki was so happy to be back in reality that he fell to his knees in relief at surviving the terrifying hospital of horrors.
After experiencing the labyrinth firsthand, Masanuki can see why the park says this is the world’s longest walk-through horror house. It’s long in terms of actual length, as well as time, and, if you think about it, trauma, because Masanuki hasn’t been able to stop thinking about it ever since.
If you too would like to be scared out of your wits for an uncomfortably long time, the Labyrinth of Fear awaits, and it’s priced at 4,000 yen (US$25.93) per group for up to four people, so be sure to bring your friends.
Site information:
Fuji-Q Highland / 富士急ハイランド
Address: Yamanashi-ken, Fujiyoshida, Shinnishihara 5-6-1
山梨県富士吉田市新西原5-6-1
Website
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[ Read in Japanese ]