Inside Kansas City's Haunts: How Edge of Hell and Beast Scare You
KANSAS CITY – October 30, 2026 -- Two Kansas City haunted attractions, Edge of Hell (open since 1975) and Beast Haunted Attraction (open since 1991), build their scares on more than a monster in a mask, says industry spokesperson Amber Arnett-Bequeaith, known as the Queen of Haunts.
Sound, smell and touch do the heavy lifting
According to Arnett-Bequeaith, the real work happens before you see the monster. A scream from somewhere unseen builds anticipation. A damp, musty odor hints that something has been lurking for years. An unfamiliar texture or a dark passage gives the imagination room to run.
Smell has particularly strong connections to brain systems involved in emotion and memory. Combined with sight and sound, it can make an imaginary world feel convincing enough to trigger an instinctive response.