“The Spawning,” Universal Studios Florida, 2009
On this date in 1810, future politician William M. Buell was born. While most HHN fans probably haven’t heard Buell’s name before, the event’s most hardcore fans should be familiar with the town that he founded: Carey, Ohio.
For those who are unaware, Carey is a real village located in Wyandot County, Ohio. The Wikipedia page highlights the village’s educational system, quarry and large Roman Catholic population, however there is no mention of the frequent supernatural events that both occur in, and originate from, this sleepy little town. That’s because the town’s frequent appearances in Halloween Horror Nights lore are a bit of an inside joke.
When writing the backstory for some of Halloween Horror Nights’ attractions, the creative team sought a unifying point of origin. This idea, similar to how many of Stephen King’s works occur in Derry, Maine, or the Lovecraftian terrors present in Hobb’s End, New Hampshire (from John Carpenter’s “In the Mouth of Madness” film), allowed HHN’s creators to ground their stories in relatable, almost-real-life locations. Instead of creating a fictional location from scratch, however, the HHN creative team decided to base their terrors in the hometown of one of their own members: Carey (and Wyandot County), Ohio.
References to Carey have appeared in 2008’s “The Skoolhouse” scarezone and “Dead Exposure” house, 2010’s “Legendary Truth: The Wyandot Estate,” 2011’s “Acid Assault,” and 2013’s “After Life: Death’s Vengeance” among others. The town was mentioned prominently in the origin story of HHN 18’s Bloody Mary character, in addition to that year’s Legendary Truth game.
In the photo above, the Wyandot County Pump House (and the entire sewer system below Carey) has been taken over by mysterious aquatic creatures. This building served as the entrance to the 2009 haunted house, “The Spawning.”
To see more posts relating to what we call “The Carey Connection,” click HERE.
Photo by Emily McDonald.