The Edge of Hell

The Edge of Hell (1200 West 13th Street), a spooky Kansas City institution for 30 years, confronts visitors with their most primal fears. The house’s disorienting interior and artfully discomforting atmosphere prime its occupants for the sheer adrenaline terror of groping through darkness and the appearance of monstrous chainsaw-wielding apparitions. Live rats and a live reticulated python lend breathing, tactile reality to a spooky attraction admittedly composed of decorated sets and fabricated effects, a seasonal theater of simulated ectoplasmic fun that culminates in a tableau of heaven atop the building before plunging down a five-story slide into hell. Phobiawesome! For ticket information, see edgeofhell.com.

Fridays, Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; Thursdays, Fridays, 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays, 6:30 p.m. Starts: Sept. 4. Continues through Nov. 1, 2009