About Us/News

2010 Introduction:

Now in it's second operational year, Gateway of Chaos continues to prove to be the area's best haunt.  2009 drew thousands of visitors to South West Iowa's  newest and most favorite haunted house attraction located in Malvern, Iowa in CLASSIC CAFE (formerly Bowley's Bistro).  Directed by veteran haunter Spencer Terry Productions and a team of over 30 staff who promise you'll enjoy every step of the attraction.  2010 has an all new layout, new rooms, new props and plenty of thrills to suit everyone.

2009 Introduction:

In just three years, professional haunt builder Spencer Terry and his wife Kimberly have seen an increase of over 500% in Trick or Treaters visiting their 2,000 square foot home haunt after moving to Malvern in 2006.  Now, with the help of the Malvern Area Betterment Association (MABA) non-profit and a collaboration with East Mills High School, he plans to lead a group of over 50 volunteers  in directing and constructing a thrilling experience.

"With the help of some funders and donated space, we're able to do some serious scaring this year by moving our haunt to an indoor/outdoor facility" Terry said. 

With Terry's decades of knowledge of assisting and designing large scale haunted attractions, some reaching the $1,000,000.00 mark, he's confident that patrons of this year's 'Gateway of Chaos' haunted house attraction of over 4,000 square feet will be impressed and will feel it's worth the minimal $5.00 entrance fee. "Every year will keep getting better too" he adds.

The Malvern Area Betterment Association or MABA is sponsoring the event, as it's part of their mission of creating events that benefit the city.  MABA recently went through a leadership change and that has spawned lots of action in this progressive city in Iowa.  Now, they host Maui in Malvern, a local tropical festival in June.  October 3rd is the city's En Plein Air festival, also managed by MABA.  The first Saturday in December brings hundreds from all over the region to Malvern's annual Festival of Tree's, now in its 15th year!  MABA is made up of members who are willing to go above and beyond the mission of 'connecting citizens, generating pride and bettering Malvern's future.'

MABA works closely with a group of East Mills High School students and empowers them to be creative in events that students can be a part of, will generate money for future youth events, and is something other young (and older) adults will be interested in attending.  The haunted house seemed like a perfect idea when they first suggested it, and with a professional haunter on board, they haven't wasted anytime designing, marketing and building the attraction.

Organizers say a majority percentage of profits of this years haunted attraction will go toward fulfilling MABA's mission and other events (Maui in Malvern, En Plein Air and Festival of Tree's).   On certain nights, a percentage of ticket sales go to other  local non-profits as well.  Non-profits interested in this should contact Terry for more details.

Organizers have also been working with local food venues like the host, Bowley's Bistro, to stay open late and accommodate the Gateway of Chaos patrons wishing to get a bite or drink before or after their chilling haunt experience, so stop by for special menu items! 

Sponsorship opportunities for businesses are available.  Benefits range from benefactor packages to name recognition, print/radio marketing coverage and free attraction tickets.

Bookmark this website for more upcoming information!