As December 23, 2012, approaches, many Americans eagerly await the moment when Hades will emerge from the Underworld to recklessly devour raw egg. Until then, experience man-made terror with today's Groupon: for $20, you get a skip-the-line "cutters" ticket (a $50 value) to Fear on 21st Street in Flatiron. See the sidebar for available times.

Fear on 21st Street blends the terror and shocks of a haunted house with the production values of an interactive theater performance. Tony Award–winning producer Yeeshai Gross and a veteran team of New York theater professionals have designed a petrifying journey capable of scaring the pebbles out of the most stoic of statues. Small groups take a guided tour of a decrepit asylum on the verge of being closed down and get wrapped up in the hysteria as the criminally insane tenants bedevil them on their way to safety. This production's dynamic, interactive space creates unexpected ways to terrify audiences without resorting to trite shocks involving excessive strobe lighting and retired football players in William Shatner masks. With the special skip-the-line pass, thrill pilgrims can expedite their expedition into madness by circumnavigating queues of phobia aficionados. Though science has proven that all ages are capable of feeling fear, Fear on 21st Street is not recommended for children under the age of 12; those who do attend must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to ensure proper exposure to shriek-inducing frights.