Halloween, Gore, Drinks and DJ Obama Spinladin. Dry Ink tells you where you need to go this weekend. We caught up with Rene Arriagada to find out about his latest project “Chambers of Horror” right here in Atlanta.

Dry Ink: What is the name of this new project and how did it come about?

Rene Arriagada: Honestly, I’ve been showing art in galleries or bars for years and wanted to take a break, but still have a use for these idle hands. Man, for years I wanted to do a haunted house in the city and not had the opportunity… til now. In the past, I  would help Jim Stacy and Shane Morton put on the Halloween Show and Haunted Houses at the Echo Lounge. Since the Echo lounge closed, the city has had a void of a haunted house unless you want to go outside of the perimeter. After pleading with the Masquerade to use this amazing space behind their venue, they gave in. And now the CHAMBERS OF HORROR haunted house exist in the city of Atlanta. 

DI: Was it a collaboration?

RA: Oh yeah, Once permission was granted to use the space, I got in touch a few different artists and production crews in the city. We locked in Lucas Godfrey and Nick Morgan of Splatter Cinema (also Atlanta Horror Fest, Spook show and Gorehound productions) and they got some guy they knew to help back some of the project. Later Josh Russell of Killer Replicas and Gaibe Doleger were brought in to do Special FX. Then a great group of more than 30  actors came through to make the  whole thing come together. It’s been one of the best crews to ever work with. 

DI: What’s it like?

RA: It’s not your typical haunted house, there’s not any ghosts, monsters or clowns. It’s more like walking through a horror movie. It has a feel of a “Hostel” or “Saw” movie with much more blood  and bodies everywhere. We have two versions of the show, a regular and the adult show that starts after. The adult show is a lot more graphic and worth the wait. We also have the Splatter Bar, an area to have a few drinks and hang out before or after you pass through the Chambers of Horror. The Splatter bar also offers entertainment like old movies being projected, DJ Obama spinladin and the Stab-Tuggo sideshow. I promise you this is the only haunted house like this! 

DI: How long did it take for you to build? How long have you been working on it?

RA: The project got started back in March. We built this horror attraction from scratch, from the structure to the bodies. Lots of blood, sweat and more blood went in to this. Everyday we’re still adding more to the house, from props to torture devices. It’s straight up an on going process.

DI: So where is it?

RA: Behind the Masquerade. 695 North Ave., Atlanta.

DI: When did it open and how long will it run?

RA: We’ve been open all October until midnight and will be open Nov. 1, 5 and 6.

DI: Is this something you plan on doing every year around Halloween?

RA: We are already in the works for next year. Expanding on the space and growing with more gore!

DI: This place sounds amazing. Best of luck to you. Again, you can check it out right here:

www.chambersofhorroratl.com