From the Producer of Bear Milk NYC Comes The Ridgewood Asylum

11th October 2023 BWM Staff

The producer of Bear Milk NYC invites you into The Ridgewood Asylum for some Halloween screams this October!

It’s no secret that our editor in chief is a Halloween/ horror fanatic. He was beyond excited to get to Spooky Season and feature as many magnificent bears in the horror space to you as he could. So, imagine his excitement when he found out that the producer of Bear Milk is also a horror fanatic who produces a Halloween Haunt and Escape Room in Brooklyn?! Well, we needed to find out more, of course, so we reached out to producer Jorge Mdahuar (JEM) and got the scoop!

Check out our conversation with him below and be sure to grab some tickets now at TheRidgewoodAsylum.com using discount code “BearworldAsylum” for $10 off your admission!

BWM: Hi Jorge! We are very excited to learn about your Halloween Haunt and Escape Room. Tell us about what attendees can expect? What is the setup?

Jorge Mdahuar (JM): Thank you! The Ridgewood Asylum is one of NYC’s most terrifying interactive Haunted House and Escape Room, and its doors open starting Friday October 13th through November 1st! It is not just your average haunted house with jump scares and Halloween decorations, this haunted house has escape room elements so that the attendees can experience a terror-ific interactive adventure! It’s the perfect Spooky Season activity, ideal for date night or just a fun night out with your friends and family. Each year we have received amazing reviews from the community and publications.

The short preview of the story of the Ridgewood Asylum is as follows. “It’s been years since the police discovered the horrific events that took place at the now abandoned psychiatric hospital, Ridgewood Asylum. No killer was ever found, and the condemned building has remained closed. For years, evil has been lying dormant…until now!”

BWM: Where is the haunt located? How big is it?

JM: This year we have taken over a huge new space ! Right off the Morgan Ave L train. The address is 94 Bogart Street. It is a huge warehouse that we have built walls and mazes inside of, to create the largest haunted house and escape room we have ever made! The haunted house is larger this year than the size of a professional basketball court! the most exciting though, are the new additions this year not only inside the haunted house but outside! This year we are featuring a bar, the “Jack O Lantern Disco Lounge” which will serve drinks and the seasonal classic snacks such as Apple Cider doughnuts, caramel apples, and hot cider. People will be able to hang out and take selfies together after surviving the haunted house in our Urban Pumpkin Patch Installation which is debuting this year! I am so excited to recreate this because my teenage years were spent in Virginia where I loved going to the pumpkin patches and farms with all of these seasonal experiences which the city does not offer.

There’s about 8 actors in the house at once, each actor helping your group complete the puzzles and tasks needed to escape each room throughout the house. The sets are all classic horror sets that tell the story of the Asylum.

BWM: Are there any queer aspects to the haunt production?

JM: The biggest queer aspect of this, would be the whole production! It is run by a queer producer, with a majority of queer cast, some bears in the community also. I would never be able to achieve such a major feat all on my own. I am elevated constantly by the queer community here who all comes together to make this happen. I am just leading the cause, but it is supported by mostly queer artists who are so talented. From actors to builders, videographers/photographers and makeup artists. The community is why we do it, we are also giving back a percentage of our profits to a mental health organization, more info on our website!

BWM: And what does Bear Milk have planned for Spooky Season?

JM: Bear Milk party has our annual Halloween Bash on Saturday, October 21st at our home location, The Deep End bar. We have our resident Gogos Kxng Jayy and Dom Impala with DJ BEARGAZER spinning. There will also be a $200 Best Costume Contest!!

BWM: Sounds like a lot of fun! I cannot wait to check out Bear Milk and The Ridgewood Asylum this month! Happy Halloween JEM! Big pumpkin spiced hugs!