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Halloween inside the epic haunted house George R.R. Martin built

A trippy $2.7 million immersive exhibit bankrolled by the "Game of Thrones" mastermind has baffled visitors for months, and now it's become a haunted house like no other.

Eric Mack
Eric Mack has been a CNET contributor since 2011. Eric and his family live 100% energy and water independent on his off-grid compound in the New Mexico desert. Eric uses his passion for writing about energy, renewables, science and climate to bring educational content to life on topics around the solar panel and deregulated energy industries. Eric helps consumers by demystifying solar, battery, renewable energy, energy choice concepts, and also reviews solar installers. Previously, Eric covered space, science, climate change and all things futuristic. His encrypted email for tips is ericcmack@protonmail.com.
Eric Mack
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1 of 17 Meow Wolf

Meet Gaby

Art collective Meow Wolf's permanent interactive installation, "House of Eternal Return," has invited all kinds of odd characters in for a trippy Halloween haunted house. It's located in an old Santa Fe, New Mexico,bowling alley "Game of Thrones" mastermind George R.R. Martin purchased for the group.

If Martin's vision for the bizarre immersive exhibit comes true, a visit to Meow Wolf on Halloween could become a bucket list item for every experimental art and sci-fi fan.

Here's Gaby, who just wants to play, which she'll tell you over and over again.

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2 of 17 Johanna DeBiase/CNET

And the band played on...

All kinds of creatures from other universes escaped from their home dimensions to wander the haunted house, including this marching band with abstract heads. The band encourages everyone to join in the music-making.

There's nothing particularly scary about Meow Wolf's "House of Halloween," but it taps into that more enigmatic element of Halloween to deepen a mystery which, fortunately, is open to visit year-round.


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3 of 17 Johanna DeBiase/CNET

Family dinner

This family, normally only present at Meow Wolf in photos and videos, appears in person for the Halloween shows, acting out scenes from life in their home. They're the only characters on hand for the haunted house who won't interact with visitors, supposedly because they're in another dimension.

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4 of 17 Meow Wolf

Even the hallway is odd

While Meow Wolf's "House of Eternal Return" exhibit is open year-round, it turns the spookiness up to 11 for Halloween. You enter the exhibit through this Victorian home, but look around long enough and you'll find secret passageways into alternate universes, which the family who lives in the home has apparently disappeared into.

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5 of 17 Meow Wolf

Charter members

Charter Agents, who are sort of like an alien, inter-dimensional security agency, have their work cut out for them as they attempt to hold off a Halloween invasion of Chaos.

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Sprites

Woodland spirits have found their way into the exhibit's forest. They can also be seen doing acrobatics around the structures.

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7 of 17 Meow Wolf

Controlling Chaos

Actor Liberty Yablon portrays a Charter Agent during the Meow Wolf Halloween show in an old bowling alley in Santa Fe that "Game of Thrones" creator George R.R. Martin purchased for the art collective.

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8 of 17 Meow Wolf

Color is overrated

Wylla Aurora Skye plays the monochrome host inside "The Cartoon Kitchen" room during the Halloween show.

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9 of 17 Meow Wolf

No Ultraviolence today, thank you

A few "Juviegangers" are on hand to keep an eye on Wiggy's Plasma Plex, the functioning arcade within Meow Wolf.

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Not quite a ninja

A Charter enforcer prepares to battle the creatures of Chaos.

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11 of 17 Meow Wolf

Halloween hologram

Believe it or not, this is an actor playing a hologram portraying a humanoid playing a kazoo.

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12 of 17 Johanna DeBiase/CNET

Acrobatics

Those woodland spirits are also pretty good at acrobatics.

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13 of 17 Johanna DeBiase/CNET

OK...

With so much to look at, it's hard to figure out what this thing's story is.

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14 of 17 Johanna DeBiase/CNET

Cool or creepy?

Not all the creatures of Chaos speak, or even have faces for that matter.

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15 of 17 Johanna DeBiase/CNET

Arachnophobic?

Every haunted house needs a huge spider, no matter what universe it's in.

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16 of 17 Johanna DeBiase/CNET

Space Lady

Also on hand was legendary street performer, the Space Lady.

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17 of 17 Johanna DeBiase/CNET

Meow Wolf's web

This spider isn't just here for Halloween, it's actually installed permanently in Meow Wolf's parking lot. While the trippy haunted house doesn't have much of a traditional Halloween feel to it, it always feels a little bit like Halloween at Meow Wolf.

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