Experience Edge of Hell Haunted House

Beauty at the Beast – The Headless Horseman Rides Again
Rescued Majestic Horse Slated for Slaughter will make Appearances at the Beast

Kansas City, Missouri – According to the Humane Society, over 100,000 horses are sent to slaughter annually in the U.S., and rehoming is rare despite the vast majority are considered in good condition. However, one fortunate Blue Roan Quarter horse has been saved from an eastern Texas kill shelter and will make special appearances with the headless horseman atop this beauty at the Beast Haunted House in Kansas City’s West Bottoms.
Though Kansas City’s acclaimed haunted houses, the Beast and Edge of Hell, have no mercy scaring people, they have a passion for caring for animals. Aside from the bats, they appreciate flying freely in the area; these haunt creators have the world’s record-breaking snake, Medusa – a reticulated python that turned 16 this year. Her handler, Larry Edgar, has a penchant for this apex predator, and other notable snakes, that earn their keep addressing snake phobias at the Edge of Hell. The haunt also features the pet rats of Rat Man and his real-life daughter, RatBrat, who greet guests at the haunt entrance. The rats are so tame that they love being ‘groomed’ by Rat Man and RatBrat, who put them in their mouths.

The Beast has a gator, a tarantula, and now with the new acquisition, has a horse for the Headless Horseman. Amber Arnett-Bequeaith, also known as the Queen of Haunts, competitively rode horses in her youth, and has incorporated her horses in the haunted attractions and festivals her family started. Several years ago, her beloved horse became too old to perform and was retired to a pasture to live out her days. Since then, the haunt hasn’t had a horse.

“Some horses love being in the show, and some don’t. When we find a horse that loves it as much as the haunt fans love to see them, we know we have a winner,” said Arnett-Bequeaith. “Sometimes, you just follow your heart and I had to save one I saw online. I went to the shelter where they were to be slaughtered and found this perfect mare. I would’ve saved more if possible.”

“We’ve named her Blueberry Sapphire. From the moment I touched her I could tell she longed for attention and compassion; she’d be perfect around strangers at the haunt. We gave her a test run and were pleased she loved the attention,” Arnett-Bequeaith added. The haunt has set up a GoFundMe to help pay the $50,000 for Blueberry’s care, and to acquire and care for four additional horse-mates for Blueberry that could perform at the Edge of Hell as the Biblical four horsemen of the apocalypse. The Headless Horseman will ride again but his horse needs some friends that the public could visit and help expose them to children that have never interacted with horses.

For haunt fans looking to make a donation to help animals and save on tickets, the Beast and Edge of Hell accept cans of dog and cat food in exchange for $5-off per ticket. The cans will be donated to the Great Plains SPCA Pet Adoption Center - one of the largest no-kill animal shelters.

About Beast and Edge of Hell Haunted Attractions.
The Beast and Edge of Hell are world-class haunted house attractions located in Kansas City’s Historic West Bottoms District, near downtown off the 12th Street Bridge. The haunts have always made it a priority to help children and pet charities, including the anti-bullying program “Don’t Be A Monster.” The Edge of Hell Haunted house is the oldest, continually operated haunted house in the nation with its start in 1975 and showcases the world-record breaking snake. While the Beast Haunted House is celebrating its 30th anniversary season in 2020 and is consistently recognized as one of the best haunted houses in the nation – named the best by America Haunts in 2019. The area’s attractions also include the Ghost and Gangsters Ghoul Bus Tour and the Full Moon Escape rooms. The West Bottoms haunted attractions Macabre Cinema and Chambers of Poe haunted houses did not open in 2020.

The 46th Halloween season tradition of visiting the Edge of Hell is underway in 2020. Visitors go through the depths of hell in this multi-story haunted house. The haunt features phobias and a five-story fright from heaven to hell plus the world’s record, longest, living snake. Rat Man, vampires, and the devil on hand in your path by purgatory, hounds of hell, and stone-cold crypts. A truly sensory experience that brings on the heat.

Queen of Haunts, is a legacy in the haunt business, earning the title from her immense experience and achievement in the industry. Queen of Haunts started in the business of scare as a small child who slept in a coffin at the family's Edge of Hell attraction. Now, over 45 years later the attraction is still operating alongside her other nationally acclaimed haunts.

The Edge of Hell proudly supports the Don't Be A Monster anti-bullying program. Don't Be A Monster is a national nonprofit that works with haunted houses throughout the United States to offer anti-bullying assemblies to students. They are the largest nonprofit that works with haunted houses in the U.S, and we are proud to stand alongside them. For more information, visit www.DontBeAMonster.org.

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World-Record Holder Snake, Medusa, Reticulated Python Wraps Herself into Kansas City’s Edge of Hell Haunted House Phobia Themes.

Medusa was born to be a Halloween star, when she slithered out of her egg October 13, 2004 – coinciding with the full "Hunters" moon. Medusa is a reticulated python with residences at Kansas City's Edge of Hell and Beast Haunted Houses. Her haunt owners and handler love to make this apex predator happy. They'll treat her to a swim in her pool and a feast on something that is eighty to 100 pounds - perhaps a deer or goats. The next few days after her meal, she'll nap contently in a sort of "meat coma."

As a working girl, she slithers around in her enclosure oblivious to her enormous size. Guinness World Records made the measure in 2011 for this world record-breaking long snake at 25'2" and 350 pounds. She has put on another 150 pounds give or take whatever and whenever she last ate. Her length is kept under wraps as she prefers curling up and having her handler, Larry Edgar, scratch her scales when she is shedding or taking her for a swim in her very own pool inside the Beast.

"We know this eater is happy - taking the haunt season all in stride with her ten-month vacation when the season wraps," said Amber Arnett-Bequeaith, aka Queen of Haunts

In the wild, her species average 10'-20’ long, and they hunt by constricting their prey in a matter of minutes. Whereas this haunt serpent just has to look like she'll squeeze the devil out of you for her role alongside werewolves and vampires in the haunted attractions.

While werewolves and vampires are mythological creatures, they have some hunting similarities to a python. A werewolf's instinct is to eat raw meat from its kill on a full moon after turning from a cursed man to a werewolf. In werewolf lore, a full moon brings out the beast in humans, and this is particularly true for the Beast Haunted House cast hungry to scare.

Vampires are also looking to feast on the living at night – preferring a blood meal. A full moon will restore a wounded vampire. A full moon during haunt season just adds charm to the occasion.