Gateway’s haunt is back!

The haunt begins Friday, Sept. 27 and runs through Nov. 2 at the Gateway’s Haunted Playhouse in Bellport.

Have your senses jarred at Long Island’s No. 1 haunted attraction, Gateway’s Haunted Playhouse, as you take a spine-tingling tour through the area’s oldest and most haunted professional theater.

Now celebrating its 16th year, Gateway’s Haunted Playhouse has grown from its original two-week run to now include six weeks of terrifying scares.

Each year, a new theme, path, and characters are created, and carefully crafted, to inhabit their three-dimensional environment, skillfully developed and built by The Gateway’s renowned design and production team, giving patrons a brand-new experience as they explore the walk-through.

Additionally, dozens of professionally trained actors prepare and rehearse each character that inhabits the haunt, giving it a unique, theatrical quality unrivaled on the island.

“In an experiment gone bad, beware the idealistic madman cast as Merlyn the magician,” said director of the haunted playhouse, Paul Allan. “He has become obsessed with turning the theater and all its inhabitants into the illustrious, legendary Kingdom of Camelot—only instead to create a twisted breeding ground of sorcerers and enchanters, where unpredictable creatures lurk in every corner.” 

Every haunt night, in the Midway—queuing area—participants can find a Shooting Gallery, Coffin Ride, Boo-Tique, and Fear Garden, which offers beers on tap and a selection of wines for guests 21 and older. 

On select nights, Billie Jean’s Grill food truck will also be in the Midway. Billie Burgers, Chicken Fingers, Hot Dogs, French Fries, Roasted Corn, Hot Pretzels, Pumpkin Cannoli, Apple Pie Egg Rolls, Churros, Deep-fried Oreos, and other comfort foods can be found on their menu.

For Tickets

Tickets for Gateway’s Haunted Playhouse—one of its nonprofit’s largest fundraisers—are $40 online and $50 at the door. Patrons are strongly recommended to purchase tickets online at FearLI.com in advance. Fast Passes are available for an additional charge. Gateway’s Haunted Playhouse is recommended for ages 13 and older. Due to the nature of this event, they are not wheelchair accessible.

The Gateway is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that seeks to provide theater of the highest caliber to the Long Island region and beyond. It is the region’s oldest professional theater.

Not so scary adventure

Come one, come all! Mini witches and warlocks, mini pumpkins and cats, mini monsters and fairies, mini superheroes and bats. Take a stroll through the Gateway Playhouse’s Not So Scary Kids Adventure at Gateway’s Haunted Playhouse to be held Saturday and Sunday afternoons from noon to 3 p.m. from Oct.12 to 27. 

Children can explore a well-lit, Halloween-themed playhouse that introduces fun characters along the way. Tickets are $20 per person. Admission includes a pumpkin bounce, hay maze, and other lawn activities.

Tickets are sold for specific 15-minute entry times. Choose the desired time and please arrive at The Gateway no more than 15 minutes before your entry time. Latecomers may need to reschedule for another date or time.

Recommended for children ages 3 and up and those who might not be ready for Gateway’s Haunted Playhouse at night. No newborns or infants are permitted, for their own safety. No strollers, carriages, or baby carriers of any kind are permitted inside the tour.