Cody's Smokehouse & Grill 2 1

chiller description written 10/26/09

"Cody's Smokehouse and Grill, which officially opens in December, will be transformed into a haunted nightmare, for visitors to enter if they dare, starting Oct. 15. The venue will also host a beer garden when the haunted house is open, and on Halloween, there will be a kickoff party before a bar crawl through the watering holes of downtown Cave Creek. The story behind the restaurant is intriguing enough to bring curious Halloween lovers from afar. “We were told by Cave Creekers that Cody's was built on an old Indian burial ground,” said Jessica Berry, a haunted-house organizer. “There have been movies shot there and when it was another restaurant, people claimed to see ghosts and say it is haunted.” The name of the restaurant was switched from “smoke” to “death” because when people enter they will walk into a bloodbath with bodies of the evening restaurant staff lying around. Haunted house goers need to find their way out, facing several obstacles along the way. “This is a mind-teaser, and people won't see characters from Number 1 horror movies of the past,” Berry said. “In one part, you are in a dark room, and it's a maze with fake exits. People are running on top of the maze, and you are underneath it and have to find your way out, but there is no way out until the actors open the doors to let you out.” Berry said that actors will follow the visitors and pretend to be part of their groups, only to be tricked later. She said the biggest draw is the realism of the haunted house compared with others around the Valley. It will be very gory, and “the building itself will seem like it's bleeding,” she said. The haunted house is recommended for people 13 and older, but Berry said they will gauge the reaction on opening night to see if they need to raise the age limit. Organizers boast the only Budweiser beer garden attached to the haunted house, where good-looking bartenders will be dressed in costumes slinging cocktails, and old horror movies will play on a tattered white sheet. Several radio stations, including the Edge (KEDJ-FM 103.9)4 plan to broadcast live on select nights, and live bands will perform on Thursday, Oct. 29, and on Halloween."

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