I couldn't stop screaming inside one of the scariest haunted houses in NYC, where I dodged chainsaws and bloody characters through terrifying rooms and corridors

Blood Manor puts on an exciting, thrilling show filled with two levels of scares.Pauline Villegas/Insider

• While I enjoy the horror genre, I've never been to a haunted house.
• After moving to NYC, I was curious about how a haunted house operates in a limited space.

As someone who's never been to a haunted house before, I didn't know what to expect going into Blood Manor in Manhattan, but terrifying sounds, atmosphere, and characters created the perfect cocktail of scares.

Pauline Villegas visits Blood Manor in Manhattan on October 22, 2022.      Pauline Villegas/Insider

I cowered and jumped throughout the house as clowns, bloody doctors, and undead maids popped out of the darkness. Now I can't wait to make this an annual tradition.

A bloody maid spooks guests on October 22, 2022.      Union Square Advertising

The frights started while we stood in line, as blood-soaked characters came out for photos and jump scares.

Bloody characters stood calmly in line, scaring guests as they walked into Blood Manor on October 8, 2021.      Union Square Advertising

As I entered the haunted house, a bloody character told us the rules — no cellphones, no touching the actors — and sent us on our way.

Blood Manor guests walk through the haunted house on October 8, 2021.      Union Square Advertising

When we entered one room, the door shut behind us, and the entire space was pitch-black. A character eerily told us to follow the sound of their voice until a loud pop and rush of air scared us into the next room.

A character at Blood Manor hides behind the corner on October 8, 2021.      Union Square Advertising

Special effects like spooky music, loud sounds, and lighting help build tension in the space. As my heart raced, there was no time to catch my breath from one room to the next.

A dead astronaut scares on October 21, 2022, at Blood Manor.      Union Square Advertising

Owner Jim Lorenzo told Insider that this is by design. "When you build a haunted house, if you're in a large, open, outdoor space, mother nature does a lot of it." But when you're in Manhattan, you have to manufacture the spooky atmosphere.

A hallway lined with skulls photographed on October 8, 2021.      Union Square Advertising

The frights were ideally suited for a horror lover like myself. But I advise anyone who hates blood and gore — especially kids — to opt out since nearly every character was drenched in fake blood.

Multiple rooms featured dismembered body parts and blood dripping from the special effects makeup.      Union Square Advertising

Source: Blood Manor

In one particular hallway, our group had to walk through hanging, dismembered-looking body parts in a meat-locker-inspired scare. We ducked and dodged the body parts as I laughed to distract myself from the overwhelming fear.

A spooky doctor stands in a bloody room on October 8, 2021.      Union Square Advertising

In other rooms, characters thrust chainsaws and machetes at us, and my hands got increasingly sweaty whenever I encountered a character with a weapon.

A character holds a bloody machete on October 8, 2021.      Union Square Advertising

For the last portion of Blood Manor, a masked actor gave us 3-D glasses. As my shaking hands struggled to put them on, characters with red and blue makeup jumped out of nowhere.

Blood Manor's 3-D portion utilizes pops of color on October 8, 2021.      Union Square Advertising

The glasses were challenging to keep on, but seeing rooms through a 3-D lens brought the space to life in a whole new way. I thought the prop gave Blood Manor a dream-like (or nightmare-ish) effect.

Two Blood Manor characters terrify in 3-D makeup on October 8, 2021.      Union Square Advertising

When it was over, my adrenaline was pumping, and I felt like I could run a mile. I can safely say Blood Manor has not seen the last of me.

The exterior of Blood Manor photographed on October 8, 2021.      Union Square Advertising