Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Thursday, October 26, 2017
(LINTON) - The Original Mystery Machine with friend Scooby-Doo will make a stop at Frightmares Haunted House in Linton from 8 p.m. until 11 p.m. Saturday.
Donations will be taken in exchange for taking pictures with the Mystery Machine and Scooby. The money raised will go to the Lost Limbs Foundation. A Haunted House ticket is not required.
The Original Mystery Machine is a 1966 Dodge A100 van that was originally owned and operated by the Hanna-Barbera Studios. It was a studio van used for promotional events for the popular kids television show 'Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!' The show premiered in 1969 and was a Saturday-morning cartoon series that featured four teenagers - Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy along with their talking Great Dane named Scooby-Doo.
The group worked together to solve mysteries involving supposedly supernatural creatures through a series of antics and mis-steps. Variations of the show and feature films still exist and are produced to this day.
After an accident at one point, the van was also taken to Barris Customs for repairs. Barris Customs are known for many iconic Hollywood vehicles such as the Batmobile, the Munster Coach and the truck from 'the Beverly Hillbillies'.
Today, The Original Mystery Machine is owned by Robin Terry of Auburn, Ill. Terry tours around with the van and Scooby to many different events and charity functions to help organizations such as The Lost Limbs Foundation. Robin is also the owner of Ashmore Estates in Ashmore, Ill., an historical site featured on shows such as 'Ghost Hunters' and 'Ghost Adventures'.
Terry says that he keeps the van touring because "it is exciting to see the smiles on children's faces aging from 5-75 when they recognize it. Scooby-Doo is what so many of us grew up watching and it continues to be a favorite of children even after almost 50 years."
Frightmares Haunted House is happy to have The Original Mystery Machine return after a one-year hiatus. It last made a stop in Linton during the 2015 season. The event was very popular last time and attracted a large crowd.
Frightmares Haunted House is in their seventh season and has been continuing to grow and improve their scares while trying to give back to their community. They host many community centric events such as a food drive, blood drive with the Indiana Blood center, free non-scary kids trick-or-treating on Halloween and the Mystery Machine to support the Lost Limbs Foundation.
One of Frightmares' owners, Kegan Inman, said "We continue to operate this haunted house because we love what we do. Everything that we make is re-invested into the next years building and everyone who helps is a volunteer. We continue to do this because we love giving back and pleasing our customers year after year."
Frightmares Haunted House is located at 688 A ST NW in Linton, next to the former Southern Indiana Workwear building where parking is available.
Frightmares is open Friday nights through Nov. 3 from 8-11 p.m., Saturdays through Nov. 4 from 8-11:30 p.m. and on Halloween from 8-10 p.m. Tickets are only $10 for adults and $8 for kids 10 and under.
Though Frightmares' building may look small, it features an overall experience that wraps through at 1/5 of a mile and takes 20-25 minutes to navigate on average. The maze features a variety of different scenes and scares to both intrigue and terrify guests. Frightmares also offers No-Scare tours for the little ones. If a child is does not wish to be scared, their group can be sent through as a no-scare so that they can still see the decorations and scenes but not be scared on the way through. Groups can also become no-scare groups on their way through by letting their tour guide know if they feel it is too intense.
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