From simulated entrails hanging across the walls to the eerie, maze-like hallways, the surprise-filled Nightmare Chamber Haunted House delivers new fears in each room — for those brave enough to navigate the annual Halloween attraction.

Situated in Medford at the intersection of East Third Street and North Front Street, the haunt offers approximately 25,000 square feet of scares.

This year, The Nightmare Chamber is offering two completely new sections of the haunted house: “The Dark” and “The Dungeon: Midway of the Macabre.” 

“‘Midway of the Macabre’ is a public area where people can buy things — we’re going to have spooky arts and crafts vendors, food vendors, our Booze after Boos beer and wine garden there and our Buried Alive simulator,” said Robin Downward, owner and producer of The Nightmare Chamber. “Our new haunt, which is called ‘The Dark,’ is an all-dark maze with more tactile experiences.”

Downward hopes “The Midway of the Macabre” will not only draw out the Rogue Valley’s thrill seekers, but also provide an area dedicated to celebrating the spooky season and enjoying the haunted house in a casual way.

“It’s so people don’t just come, stand in line, go to the haunted house and then go home; there’s other things they can do,” he said.

Outside of the refreshments and vendors offering Halloween-themed goods, the Buried Alive simulator features a coffin for guests to have the jarring experience of a premature burial, with the machine imitating the sounds and feelings of the nightmarish action.

“We’ll also have a ‘scare a guest’ experience and (people) will be able to see a certain scare (in a monitor) in The Nightmare Chamber. They will have this button that’s connected to one of the air cannons up here,” Downward said, adding, “they’ll be able to watch as people go in front of this air cannon, and they’ll be able to scare people on their own with it.”

As for “The Dark,” haunted house staff are currently arranging the facility’s basement for a scary sensory experience of navigating a fully dark area with plenty of surprises.

The Nightmare Chamber will kick-off opening night from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4.

The haunted house will be open at 7 p.m. on select nights, Oct. 4-Nov. 2, closing at either 10 or 11 p.m. depending on the night.

For the full schedule, see nightmarechamber.com/schedule.

General admission costs $27 per person, $42 for a RIP fast pass and $95 for a season pass.

Tickets can be bought at nightmarechamber.fearticket.com/frontapp.

The haunt is an ever-evolving space that involves creating new ideas for segments and scare sections, and Downward and his team are constantly on the hunt to find new ways to frighten their guests and keep things fresh.

“We have about 32 total people between actors, event staff and safety staff,” he said.

First opening as a theatre company in 2009, The Nightmare Chamber has earned a reputation over the years as one of the best haunted houses in the region.

“Last year, we were voted the No. 1 haunted house for 2023 in the state of Oregon through oregonhauntedhouses.com and haunts.com,” Downward said.

The inspiration to start The Nightmare Chamber goes back to Downward’s childhood memories and love for all things Halloween.

The owner dedicated his business name — formerly the Randall Theatre Company — to his late brother who greatly influenced Downward’s love for Halloween, the arts and more.

“The theatre was dedicated to Randy, but the haunted house is more of my homage to him,” he said. “It’s always been a fun, special time of the year for me, and me being able to continue being a kid for as long as possible.”

A key to the haunted house’s long-term success has been Downward’s use of his background in theater to provide his actors with opportunities to explore their scary characters while building on the fictional backstory of The Nightmare Chamber.

“I allow my actors to create their own creatures, their name, backstory, what they want … That way, it’s not just actors going ‘I’m the chef, and I’m here to eat you,’” he said.

The Nightmare Chamber is a no-touch haunted house, meaning actors will not purposefully touch visitors to ensure the safety of both parties.

“We have a group of people who are trained specifically to keep things going smoothly from a safety standpoint,” Downward said. “It’s a very well oiled machine that we’ve been running for a long time.”

The spooky fun will continue in December around Christmastime with “Slay Ride,” a holiday haunt featuring a humorous and horrifying visit with a hillbilly cannibal family.

The holiday haunted house will run from Dec. 20-22.

To learn more about The Nightmare Chamber Haunted House, visit nightmarechamber.com.