Zihui Manor turns into a “haunted house” and a scary baby room scares tourists

“Hosted in 2023”study tour “Ofsan francisco Bay Area Luxury Estate,Halloween During this period, it turned into a “haunted house”. Located in Filoli Gardens (Woodside), San Mateo County, the more than month-long Halloween night event “Nightfall” officially ended on November 1. This centuries-old manor, built in 1917, has been transformed into a mysterious world filled with witches, ghosts and strange creatures. Creepy details are hidden in every corner of the mansion, horrifying and exciting visitors.

Ferroli Gardens was originally the private estate of William Bowers Bourne II, a wealthy San Francisco businessman, and his wife. The entire estate is spread over an area of ​​654 acres, comprising a Georgian Revival mansion with an area of ​​over 54,000 square feet and 56 rooms and 16 acres of well-designed gardens. In 1975, the manor was donated to the National Trust for Historic Preservation and was gradually opened to the public. On November 15, 2023, then US President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a summit here, bringing this century-old estate to global attention.

This year’s event takes the “witch’s curse” as the main story. The originally grand mansion appears to be cursed, with terrifying surprises hidden everywhere. Among them, the baby room was rated as the scariest corner by netizens. Under dim red light, the toy doll “occupies” the cradle in a twisted and awkward posture with its limbs separated.

Ms. Chen, a tourist, said: “It just gave rise to the uncanny valley effect of humans. Most other decorations would surprise you with the care and ingenuity of the organizer. But when I walked into this inconspicuous room, I just wanted to get out quickly.”

The other rooms are equally scary and simple. Originally on the grand dining table, the exquisite cake was actually covered with decorations in the shape of cockroaches, rats and centipedes, and a strange food in the shape of eyeballs and hearts was also placed in the center. A witch plays the piano alone at home. After the strange tune ends, she suddenly speaks to the tourists: “Thank you for coming with me. I’ve been playing alone here for hundreds of years. I’m so lonely.”

Coming out of the mansion, an atmosphere of panic is spreading in the redwood forest. Along the way, more than 1,000 pumpkin lanterns emit orange light, and more than 200 scarecrows stand amid the dark forests. Giant glowing banana worms and fantastical creatures spread among them, making visitors feel as if they are in a scene straight from fairy tales and horror movies.

This year’s event also included a “Witches’ Village” and “Haunted Railway”, the latter of which utilizes eight miniature trains traveling on a 1,000-foot-long track amid forest scenery, further adding to the immersive experience.

This event achieved record popularity. The park said that as of September 29, more than 53,000 tickets had been sold for this year’s autumn series of events, and all tickets were sold out on the opening weekend of Nightfall.

General adult tickets cost around NT$45 to NT$65 depending on the session, but Ms Chen believes the experience is “worth the price.” She said: “What a paradox! Ferroli is a place where beautiful photographs are taken. The original notion was of a luxurious manor with blooming roses and sunshine. Now it has become a scary world. It will really give you an amazing experience.”

Andy, a Chinese parent, laughed and said that the horror level of this Halloween event may not be suitable for children who are too young. “It’s a place where parents have to wait until their kids are a little older before they can enter.”