DIGITAL EDITION: The Haunting Tour at Circus Circus – The Thirteenth Floor Experience

MEET YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE

Only a person like Jason Egan, the 32 year old mastermind behind the world-famous “Fright Dome at Circus Circus,” will take delight in the fact that the hotel, being one of the oldest properties on The Strip, has a thirteenth floor. Where the newest casinos and resorts bypass this floor number (apparently, there are a lot of superstitious people out there), Egan has, for years, been lobbying management to make use of it for that brief window he has every year – the month of October.

A brief backgrounder on Egan and “Fright Dome” – for those not in the loop, every year in October, since 2003, The Adventuredome at Circus Circus gets transformed into the scare-fest that is “Fright Dome.” The attraction runs through the end of October and is open only on select nights – usually Thursdays to Sundays. What is most notable about this venture though is that even with the limited number of days in operation, it still manages to drum-up enough business to keep returning, year after year.

Well, 2010 seems to be a banner year for Egan, because he finally got his wish. The premise of this new attraction is simple, “The thirteenth floor, thirteen different lounges, thirteen dollars,” says Egan. Sounds simple enough, but don’t forget the guy has years of practice in the fright business. “You know, some people think that the thirteenth floor is the portal to the other side,” Egan adds, somewhat gleefully, “We’re definitely taking advantage of the fact that Circus Circus is one of the few properties on The Strip that has a thirteenth floor.” For those who aren’t superstitious, this might seem like a non-issue, but consider this fact which we found online – according to Otis Elevators – “85 percent of buildings with elevators did not have a floor named the 13th floor.” Based on this little tidbit, it would  seem that Egan hopes to capitalize on the vast majority of people with “Triskaidekaphobia,” of the fear of the number 13. Well, that, or as Egan puts it, “It’s for someone who wants something fun and quick to do, “ adding, “It’s a second option for families if they don’t want to do Fright Dome.”

Because the attraction is new, though mostly it’s because I’m too ‘chicken’ to go, I asked Egan to provide a “verbal rundown” on what to expect in the tour. Firstly, there is a dedicated elevator that will take you directly to the floor, and similar to a “theme-ride,” the mood is set from the moment you “check-in.” “It’s very interactive,” says Egan, “It’s not like an actor jumps out and says “Boo!” and you’re done. The actors have their full skits and you can interact with them.” From his descriptions of the 13 themed rooms, I can only surmise that the feeling he’s going for is that you’ve just checked in to the “Hotel From Hell.” There’s a ‘creepy bellman,’ a crazy ‘catering room,’ a ‘haunted concierge,’ a ‘Christmas nightmare,’ and even a ‘Vegas wedding gone bad’ (no, we’re not talking about Britney).

All this of course, on a more intimate and cozy scale, with tours lasting about 10-15 minutes, and limited to smaller groups. And yes, the hotel will close-off that one floor throughout October, so actual guests of the hotel and that tower have nothing to fear. Says Egan, “I’ve been lobbying since 2003 – I’ve always

wanted to do something on the thirteenth floor.” He believes that it was his persistence in asking every single year is what finally prompted the hotel to agree to this new attraction. Egan admits though that, “this will be the most of what I’ve taken on in one year,” and possibly

the “craziest year for doing a haunted house,” but he looks forward to the challenge. Don’t underestimate this new attraction’s scale – for while it’s smaller and more intimate, Egan estimates that he’s spent $200,000 to produce this. We asked him if a permanent haunted house is in the works, and he replied, “I’ve always discussed a permanent haunted house, at least one in the adventure dome, so it’s an idea, but it definitely hasn’t been turned down just yet.” Knowing Egan’s track record, it will probably be just a matter of time.