Secrets of the Cryptkeeper's Haunted House facts for kids

Secrets of the Cryptkeeper's Haunted House was a fun game show for kids. It aired on CBS every Saturday morning. The show started on September 14, 1996, and ended on August 23, 1997.

The famous Cryptkeeper from Tales from the Crypt was the announcer. John Kassir provided his spooky voice. This show was the last TV series in the Tales From the Crypt family.

Secrets of the Cryptkeeper's Haunted House was even nominated for an award! It received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1997. This was for "Outstanding Game Show." It lost to another CBS show called The Price Is Right. This show was one of only two children's game shows to get this nomination. BrainSurge was the next one in 2012.

How to Play the Game

Two teams of kids competed in this spooky game show. One team wore red shirts, and the other wore black. Their team names were often scary creatures. For example, they might be called "Beasts" versus "Vermin."

The teams played five different challenges. Four of these challenges were always the same. The fifth challenge changed each week.

Game Challenges

Fireball Alley

In this game, one player from each team had to protect six headstones. A computer-generated skull named Digger would shoot fireballs at them. Digger was voiced by Danny Mann. The player also had to stay on a wobbly bridge. If they fell off, they would look like they exploded with special effects!

For each headstone that stayed standing, Digger would give a list of four items. The team had to figure out what these items had in common. If they guessed correctly, they earned five points for each list. A team could get up to 30 points in this round. If all the headstones were knocked down, the round ended. The player couldn't score any more points.

Worminator

This was usually the second game. Both players had to cross a windy tunnel. They needed to pass balls to each other at three special spots. If a ball was dropped, it would disappear. If a player fell off the platform, the round ended.

At the end of the tunnel were two bins. Every ball placed in a bin earned the team 10 points. If all three balls were dropped, or if they didn't put any balls in the bins within 35 seconds, both players would disappear! Teams were also disqualified if they didn't pass the balls at the special spots.

The Incredible Shrinking Room

This was always the third challenge. Teams had 40 seconds to find missing letters in six words. Digger, the skull, would tell the audience the category for the words. Teams had to find the right letter tiles. Then, they placed them in the correct spots. Finally, they shouted out the word at the top of the list.

As time ran out, the wall and ceiling would start to close in! This made it important to solve the words quickly. Each correct word was worth 5 points. If a team solved all six words and shouted out the top word before time ran out, they got an extra 10 points. This meant a possible total of 40 points!

The Swamp from Hell

Sometimes, this game took the place of Worminator. One player started outside the house. They jumped on a trampoline to grab skulls from hooks for 15 seconds. Each skull they grabbed meant a bag of skulls was placed on a platform. This platform was next to a computer-generated lava pit.

On the other side of the lava pit was another platform. A balance beam connected the two platforms. Once the player stepped on a platform, they had 60 seconds. They had to carry as many skull bags as possible to the other platform. Each bag was worth five points. Players could make as many trips as needed. If a player fell off the balance beam, they would disappear. The round would end, but the team kept their points.

Also, a cage holding the player's teammate would lower towards the lava pit. If time ran out before all bags were moved, the teammate in the cage would reach the lava pit and disappear!

Fourth-Round Games

Ghost Battle

Only one player from each team competed in Ghost Battle. They met Digger, who now had a full skeleton body. They had 90 seconds to joust with Digger. Players needed to hit Digger's shield to score points. If a player hit the shield five times, the skeleton would fly up and explode! The player scored five points. Players never fell off the platform in this game.

The Abyss

In The Abyss, one team member tried to climb a cliff covered with numbers. They used three rope ladders to help them. The other team member asked up to five questions with number answers. The climber then had to find the correct number on the cliff and press a button next to it.

Each correct answer earned 5 points. The game lasted 90 seconds. It also ended if the climber fell off the ladders and disappeared. The team still kept any points they earned. The maximum score was 25 points. Sometimes, this was the second game, and Worminator was the fourth.

Endless Hallway

One player walked on a machine like a treadmill for 75 seconds. Their job was to walk through a hallway and remember different items they saw. Their teammate waited outside. This teammate was given five "fill-in-the-blank" questions. When told what item was seen, the teammate had to match it to the right blank. Each correct match scored five points.

Vampire's Lair

Both players competed in Vampire's Lair. One player went into a dark room. The room would light up for a few seconds with strobe lights, then go dark again. The player outside guided the player in the room. They used a video feed from a night vision camera. In the middle of the room was a switch. When flipped, this switch would wake up a vampire!

Each team had one minute and 45 seconds to reach the switch. The team that woke the vampire faster won 20 points. If neither team reached the vampire, no points were given.

Final Round: Skullduggery

Skullduggery was the last game of the day. One player from each team went into the haunted house one last time. Their goal was to find skulls! Players usually searched four or five rooms. These rooms included the Master Deadroom, The Mummy's Tomb, The Hall of Horror, and the Dungeon. Sometimes, The Creepatorium was also included.

When a buzzer sounded, players had to move to the next room. After searching all the rooms, they raced out of the house. With help from their teammates, they stacked all the skulls onto a large skewer. The first team to stack enough skulls to fill their skewer won 50 points! If no team filled their skewer, the team with the most skulls won. If both teams had the same number of skulls, the one who finished faster won.

Usually, the 50 points were enough to win the whole game. The winning team often received Apple computers. The runner-up team received a set of the Grolier New Book of Knowledge.