by VANESSA DELGADO//Staff Writer
Nightmare on 19th Street has become a hot public attraction in Lubbock.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, they made number 10 on the Scare Factor must-see Haunts List, which collected more than 80,000 votes on the scariest haunted attractions. Nightmare on 19th Street keeps the haunts coming, and they never fail to amaze. The attractions are changed to fit the demand of the public, with new scenes added and updated. Occasionally, themes are changed. But one attraction will always stay true to its theme.
“Blood Moon Manor” is the undead beating heart of Nightmare on 19th Street,” explains co-owner Corey Trahan. “Every scene has a story.”
This is one of four scary attractions. They also have “The Wastelands,” “City of the Lost,” and “Clowntown 3D.”
When Wes Nessman and Trahan started Nightmare on 19th Street 10 years ago, it posed some challenges at first. The original idea for the location of Nightmare was at an old slaughterhouse underneath the Lonestar Amphitheatre. It posed problems with the building inspector. Since then, Nightmare has grown, and with the number of people who are now attending, it might have posed some risks to scare-goers, according to Trahan.
Another setback was whether Lubbock would be open to such taboo attractions. Lubbock is more of a close-knit, conservative city, and haunted attractions don’t exactly fit that description. Nevertheless, 10 years later, Nightmare has received nationwide recognition.
“Lubbock is such an isolated city,” says Trahan. “I never thought anyone nationwide paid attention to what we were doing. After 10 years, it eventually got on the map.”
There is a whole community that is involved and enables Nightmare to come alive each year. Most of the staff is made up of volunteers. In order to volunteer, you need to show up around 6:30 p.m. to get ready and have a form of ID. Anyone age 13, or older, with parental permission, can volunteer. This shows what care and passion each member has for Nightmare.
“We have kids from all over,” explains Trahan. “We have a lot of parents and mothers that come to us thanking us, because their child was so introverted and now they are more social. We do not discriminate. It doesn’t matter what race, gender, or religion you are. You are accepted into what we do.”
Each attraction at Nightmare appeals to different types of horror. Each person is different and reacts to situations differently.
“People who love Halloween and love horror, love different aspects of that,” expresses Trahan.
Some people may go through Nightmare for the amazing aesthetics and animatronics. Others may go to get scared out of their wits.
“The reality is you are not going to scare every person that comes,” says Trahan. “Fear is a very relative thing. We had to carry a girl out of the first scene that left crying.”
Luckily, Nessman and Trahan went through all the struggles to make Nightmare on 19th Street happen. Even though they both work full-time jobs, they are dedicated to their booming business.
Nessman and Trahan are looking to expand out of Lubbock, with sights set on Austin.
“It’s kind of a secret,” said Trahan. “I’m from Austin, and traveling after 10 years, it was about time to expand. We have something epic planned for Austin.”
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