Haunted LI Farm's 'Mysterious Circumstances' Unfold At Playhouse

BELLPORT, NY — It's Halloween season again, and the folks at The Gateway's Haunted Playhouse in Bellport, one of Long Island's longest-running and scariest haunted houses, are putting the finishing touches on this year's haunt — a dilapidated farmstead.

It opens Sept. 30 and will run through Oct. 31.

Haunt Director Michael Baker unfolds this year's haunt with the Gateway as "a once-flourishing farm, producing some of New York’s best produce, livestock and leading the way in agricultural science and research, but has now fallen into complete disarray," theater representatives stated in a news release.

"Prior to closing, mysterious circumstances surrounded the disease and death of crops, livestock, and the tragic deaths of the owner, Mr. Mott, and his family," they said in a news release. "The sole survivor of these events was his son Jebediah Mott, who is still a suspect and missing to this day …. Now, 40 years later, the farm is now up for sale and the estate auction has begun."

Theater reps urged prospective patrons to have their "senses jarred, at Long Island’s number one haunted attraction," as they "take a spine-tingling tour through the area's oldest and most haunted professional theater. "

The haunt, which is the nonprofit's largest fundraiser of the year, is recommended for people over 13.

Over 100 people from the Gateway's production departments, staff, a vast pool of professional actors, and a core of acting volunteers, come directly from The Gateway School for the Performing Arts, are on hand every night to ensure the smooth operation, which also features a bustling Midway, reps said.

The Midway features a Shooting Gallery, Boo-Tique, and soft drinks and snacks, as well as a “Fear Garden," featuring beer and wine for those over 21.

Billie Jean’s Grill food truck also stops by on select nights. It features a menu with Billie Burgers, Chicken Fingers, Hot Dogs, French Fries, Roasted Corn, Hot Pretzels, Pumpkin Cannolis, Apple Pie Egg Rolls, Churros, Deep Fried Oreos, and other comfort foods.

Over 13 years, the Haunted Playhouse has grown from its original two-week run, to its current month-long run of "terrifying scares," according to theater reps. Each year, there's a new theme, path, and characters, following a carefully-crafted script while inhabiting a three-dimensional environment skillfully developed and built by The Gateway’s renowned design and production team, reps said.

It gives patrons "a brand new experience as they explore the walk-through," reps said, adding, that "dozens of professionally-trained actors prepare and rehearse each character that inhabits the haunt, giving it a unique, theatrical quality unrivaled on the island."

This attraction, which is set up like a labyrinth, is rated one of Buzzfeed’s Top 25 Haunted Houses Across America, one of America’s Best Haunted Attractions by Hauntworld Magazine, one of USA Today’s “Top Ten Haunted Houses in New York," and was voted “Best Haunted House on Long Island” by News12.

Tickets for the haunt are $40 online and $50 at the door, but patrons are strongly recommended to purchase tickets in advance online at FearLI.com. Fast Passes are also available for an additional charge. Due to the nature of this event, we are not wheelchair accessible.