As the Halloween season creeps near, thrill-seekers are invited to face the horrifying haunts found at Indiana's largest haunted attraction.
In only its second year running, Indy ScreamPark was ranked this year among the top 15 attractions on America's Best Haunts website.
Stretching across 50 acres of land in the rural woods of Anderson, the park houses five separately themed zones as well as games and concessions, providing guests with an entire evening's worth of fright-filled entertainment.
"There aren't a lot of things like this out there," Indy ScreamPark owner John Kennedy said. "We really invite you to stay and enjoy an entire evening with us. When people are trying to decide where to spend their money, we think we offer an entirely different value."
Combining his love of haunted houses and horror movies — his favorites being "Alien" and "The Exorcist" — Kennedy transformed a childhood interest into a career.
As publisher of Haunted Attraction magazine for the past three years, Kennedy traveled 16,000 miles to over 400 different haunted houses across America. Learning from the failures and successes of other haunted house owners, Kennedy decided to embark on his own thrilling business.
"Traveling from place to place, I realized how excited these owners were," he said. "It's infectious to see something that people are so energetic and enthusiastic about. It's not about the money, it's about how much they love it, and I had to be a part of that."
As owner of a nationally ranked haunted attraction, Kennedy quickly learned that achieving success in the industry is not cheap. With purchases anywhere from thrift stores to Craigslist to Universal Studios, Indy ScreamPark has invested over a million dollars in authentic props, costumes, makeup and scenery to give guests the ultimate scare.
"People don't get scared as easily as they used to, and the way you compete with that is to provide as realistic a show as possible," said Kennedy. "I don't want our guests to go through and see something they saw at the local Halloween store. Familiarity breaks down the illusion and ruins the experience."
Adding to a realistic experience, 125 actors spend their work nights lurking around corners, leaping from the dark and even chasing guests with chain saws.
Gypsy Snow, Indy ScreamPark haunted attractions manager, had never been through a haunted house before being hired as an actor last year. At a petite 4 feet 11 inches, Snow didn't expect to be the best at scaring guests but was excited to take on the role of Nanny of Nachtmahr, which is German for nightmare.
"It was so amazing to take on that kind of character," said Snow. "My favorite part was seeing these big, tough guys scream the loudest."
"You don't see much chivalry when the chain saws come," Kennedy added." Guys will leave their girlfriends and friends behind in an instant."
Taking over as attractions manager midway through last year's season, Snow is responsible for room assignments every night, costume and makeup supervision and security situations.
At three minutes per face and a total of 45 minutes for the entire crew to be ready, each actor embodies their creepy counterpart after being transformed by makeup and costume teams.
"We have a very efficient method for makeup and costumes this year," Snow said. "It takes absolutely no time to get in and get ready."
Kennedy said he expects a turnout of about 30,000 guest this season, and he hopes they enjoy the frightful experience as much as he enjoys creating it.
"This has been a great opportunity for me to be creative and analytical," Kennedy said. "I'm lucky to do it. There's nothing better than seeing someone scream in pure terror and then bust out in laughter afterwards."
WHERE: 5211 South New Columbus Road, Anderson, Ind.
COST: $20 Thursday and Sunday; $25 Friday and Saturday; VIP pass includes front-of-line privileges as well as two times through each attraction, $30 Thursday and Sunday; $35 Friday and Saturday
TIME/DATE: October 13-16, 20-23, 27-31
7-9:30 p.m. Thursdays & Sundays
7 p.m. - midnight Friday, Saturday
7-11:30 p.m. Halloween Night
OUTDOOR ATTRACTIONS:
Monster Midway: Before entering the haunts, guests are encouraged to play zombie paintball or basketball, enjoy fair food, and sit by the bonfire while being greeted by freakish characters.
Infected: New to the ScreamPark this year, "Infected" tells the story of an entire village ordered by the government to be contained. Guests are invited to venture through the corn maze, but they should watch out for disease-infested locals who might "infest" them.
Backwoods: Locals are advised to avoid this corner of Deadstone National Park at all costs. Occupied by the infamous Tate family for more than five generations, the backwoods is a horror tale that becomes reality for guests brave enough to venture through it.
INDOOR ATTRACTIONS:
Nachtmahr: German for ‘nightmare,' this haunted attraction features 8,000 square feet of animatronics, computer generated images, sounds, lights and live actors in 20 detailed and terrifying scenes.
Kurayami: Japanese for ‘Black Out,' this attraction re-instills childhood fears of the dark. Guests will find out what kinds of creatures come out in the absence of light.
Bedlam 3D: Put on your 3D glasses and experience sensory overload through custom sound, video, illusions and crazed clowns.
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