The Legend of Nightfall, Tucson, Arizona
The historic town of Nightfall has been a southern Arizona tradition for over 15 years. Situated on old Tucson studios, Nightfall is a 40-acre township filled with haunted houses, live shows, good food and frightening characters, which are sure to scare children of all ages.
Background
Dr. Lithistrom and Jack McHansen established the town of nightfall in 1863. However, the history extends back 20 years to Colonel Lionel Hyde. This medical doctor and psychologist founded the Goulliard Asylum for the dangerously insane. In 1847, Dr. Hyde was found dead from a strange and unexplainable accident. The circumstances surrounding his death are a mystery even to this day.
Shortly after Dr. Hyde’s death, the Asylum was purchased by the Army of the United Sates. Dr. Icabod Lithistrom was placed in charge of former military “volunteers”. These “volunteers” helped him pursue his studies on the psychological effects of war on the human mind. With so many volunteers, the town of Nightfall was soon founded.
Jack McHansen, quickly became the first mayor and with the assistance of Dr. Lithistrom was able to run the town with an iron fist. The people who choose to reside and work in the town were kept under control by vows of secrecy sworn to the U.S. government.
By 1883, the U.S. government decided they had gathered enough information about the mental breaking point that they decided to close the asylum. Yet, in 1884, Dr. Jebediah Hyde, the long-lost son of Lionel Hyde, suddenly and unexplainably reappeared.
Mysteriously Dr. Lithistrom disappeared into the desert one night, never to be heard from again and the mayor Jack McHansen died from complications while Dr. Jebediah Hyde performed a minor surgery on him. The local townspeople or the local landowners never questioned the unusual circumstances surrounding the two men’s timely elimination. Instead, the new Dr. Hyde was instated as the asylum’s head.
During his reign, Dr. Jebediah Hyde turned the asylum into a center for experimentation. He believed with enough time he could find a cure to control insanity. However, his experiments often left his patients more deformed and troubled than when they were first admitted into the asylum.
Like his father, Dr. Lionel Hyde, Dr. Jebediah Hyde met his demise surrounded by strange and unexplainable circumstances.
Activities
Every year, the town of Nightfall hosts a number of activities. Each one offers its own creepy flair and some may be too scary for the little ones. Every night there are three live shows, each one of the shows hosts spectacular Hollywood style make-up, special effects, pyrotechnics and of course dangerous stunts.
Last year’s shows included “evil Unbound”, where the citizens of Nightfall revolted and attacked the asylum. Yet the evil that resided in the town rose up to match their anger with its own force. Conflict for conflict and as only a movie studio can pull off, explosions and devastation. The other shows were “Frightmares: Specter’s Revenge” one word explains this live show, Zombies. The third show was “The Grand Masochistic Lodge #666 of Pain and Suffering.”
Other activities include Master Morbid’s Ghastly Gallery. A gallery of paintings, each one more fiendish then the one before, only don’t stare for too long or you might find the paintings staring at you. The Mine of Lost Souls, a haunted exhibit where as you walk deeper into the oceans depths, dead pirates are eager to scare you and keep you with them, locked forever in a watery grave. Lastly, was Creepy the Clown’s Sinister Circus. This circus is like nothing you have ever seen, full of dark humor and clowns directly from the insane asylum.
Information
Nightfall Dark Asylum will open on Saturday September 30 and run through October 31. The Town is only open to visitors on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 6pm-10pm and on Friday and Sunday from 6pm-12am. The entire evening will cost adults (12 and over) around $20, children (4-11) around $17, children under 4 are free however keep in mind that some of the activities are not appropriate for their age. Old Tucson Studio is located at 201 S. Kinney Rd, Tucson, Arizona. The easiest way to get there is to take I-10 to speedway (west) or to take I-19 to Ajo way (west) and follow the directions.
This amazing Halloween event only happens for one month out of the year and it is too fun and enjoyable to pass up. Bring yourself, your family and your friends to Old Tucson studio and help the town of Nightfall celebrate the Halloween tradition
