Blood Manor Revisited

Originally Published: October 31, 2023

Historic Haunted House Happened Here

St. Mary’s County is home to haunting legends fit for Halloween. Cinema in the 1970s and 80s featured a number of classic mass-murder gorefests that still frighten. In St. Mary’s County, the 1970s saw the birth of a live action version of shock called Blood Manor. Thousands flocked to this rural peninsula for a shriekingly good time at the haunted house, where visitors moved from room to room experiencing a range of terrorizing set pieces and characters.

“It is my opinion that we were America’s first ‘real’ haunted house,” according to creator Edwin “Itsi” Atkins, originally from St. Mary’s County. The first Blood Manor was located in a decrepit convent in Ridge. An old dormitory where Catholic nuns once lived, long abandoned, was resurrected by Atkins and a group of volunteers from St. Mary’s College who reinforced the failing infrastructure. Then, they created set pieces like a scientists lab, a dining room Hannibal Lector would feel at home in, and more. “It was a frightening reality show, professionally produced, using magic, lighting, special effects, outlandish makeup and talented actors” as described by Atkins.

Atkins released a book in 2020 detailing the conception, execution, and reaction to “Blood Manor: America’s First Haunted House,” as the book is titled. St. Mary’s would be home to Blood Manor for the first three years. Locals who weren’t into the scary show and large crowds were vocal about their opposition. “Blood Manor raised controversy and brought outraged reactions,” Atkins writes in the book. Teaching music for St. Mary’s County Public Schools, Atkins was aware the Board of Education “was not happy” to have an employee running “such an outrageous event.”

Blood Manor was a pioneer in many ways it seems, with Atkins’ team never overlooking a detail that could enhance the experience. Plans were precise for how potential victims would snake their way through a disorientating maze of rooms. Actors gave intensely dedicated performances for hours on those dark nights, with screams heard well out into the crowd of waiting patrons. Describing one experience, Atkins writes “one boy ran straight into the dense woods and got caught in a barbed wire fence” after fleeing the twisted haunt.

After the first year in Ridge, the production moved further north to Laurel Grove for two years. Now recognized as Baggett Park, back then the old Bowlin farm was the perfect setting for a new, more horrifying Blood Manor. “The [St. Mary’s County] Department of Recreation and Parks assisted me in finding this new location, for it wanted to be the beneficiary of the revenue from the new Blood Manor,” Atkins says in his book. It was essential to have a good relationship with the county government in order for the attraction to be successful.

An average of 10,000 people visited the location over about two weeks each year in 1972 and 1973. Facing long wait times, the Blood Manor crew ramped up the entertainment with outdoor frights to feed the imaginations of those standing in line. A gallows, constructed outside of the farmhouse, doubled as a stage for the Blood Manor Rockettes, a group Atkins envisioned as a monster mash of the famous Radio City Rockettes and the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Ghouls and goblins roamed the crowds, disappearing into farm fields long enough to suddenly reappear for a scare. Attendees were promised a petrifying time from the moment they stepped foot on the property.

Chillingly, the Blood Manor employees honed more than just their acting skills. “During the ten-year run of Blood Manor, we became attuned to identifying different kinds of screams,” said Atkins. This was important for determining where on the scare-o-meter something fell, and also for revealing screams that weren’t from being frightened, but instead from an actual emergency.

As with so many things in St. Mary’s County, Blood Manor has a kind of “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” history. Many long-term Countians of a certain age have a story about Blood Manor, including those in my own family. My mother remembers visiting the Laurel Grove location and being scared enough to punch Frankenstein in the face before running outside. My stepfather recalls working in the parking area when Blood Manor moved to Accokeek in the late 1970s. Indeed, Blood Manor is even connected to names like Larry King, Barack Obama, and Hannibal Lector himself–Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Skip Smith, a talented makeup artist and theater aficionado like Atkins, would go on to work with all of those famous folks. But he got his start with Itsi Atkins and Blood Manor. “He was key to Blood Manor's visual success,” said Atkins, elaborating that what Smith created using makeup “looked so realistic that the actors immersed themselves in their roles and gave incredible performances.” Smith would eventually take over the Blood Manor enterprise after helping Atkins run it successfully for years.

In 1974, Blood Manor moved to Charles County and continued there for several years before staging shows in Prince George's County. Atkins details the various moves and production years in his book, along with fascinating behind-the-scenes memories. He heaps praise on those involved with the scarefest, from cast and crew to sponsors. The impact made by this homegrown spine-chilling affair was international. Press as far as Europe and Australia covered Blood Manor, with one Australian paper calling it “the sickest show in America today [where audiences] cling to friends and strangers, sob and wet their pants, and pass out.”

You can learn more about Itsi Atkins’ Blood Manor by reading the book, “Blood Manor: America’s First Haunted House” and visiting the Facebook group, via the website below.

Website: https://itsiatkinsbloodmanor.com/

Happy Halloween!