Spook Spectacle: Haunted houses make for shrieking good time

By Olivia Schares 2008
2005 is definitely the year for haunted houses, but don’t forget your wallet. Although slightly pricier this year, these scares are well worth the dough.

Our first haunt of the weekend was the Waterhawk’s Haunted Hayrides. This year, the ride cost $6. We had quite a while to wait before it was our turn, but there were picnic tables, a fire, free hot chocolate and other foodstuffs to purchase.

A witch was to be our guide, but she abandoned us, only to climb on to the wagon later, out of “pity.” In previous years, the ride has been more of a spectacle than a spook. However, my companions and I spent more time in the fetal position, rolling in jay, than we did pointing out the cool scenery. I recall being crouched on the floor of the wagon, screaming bloody murder as three people dressed as clowns resembling the character from It, sat in my seat and grinned manically at me for quite some time.

The great thing about the hayrides is that each ride is different. You might go through the tunnel or over a bridge. This year featured a lot of interaction between the actors and the audience. It seemed to me like they kept jumping into our wagon right where I was sitting. There was a particularly unnerving bit involving children, but I’m not about to give it all away.

The end of the hayride came much too soon, as most of us were wishing we could go at least one more time. Our only real problem with this one was that we had trouble getting three and found ourselves lost more than once. That could have just been our problem, as everyone else didn’t seem to have such a hard time.

Our next trip was o the Horrid Hollow on the Cattle Congress grounds. After purchasing our tickets, we entered a barn and met with an “old fortune teller.” She was quite impressive, but she wouldn’t tell us if Cheney would be indicted.

In Barn No. 9, we were greeted by a man in a skeleton mask who directed us to the “Rat Pit.” The sets were very well constructed and eerie-looking. Some bits were less than frightening, but we were all extremely impressed.

This is what haunted houses are all about. After being in a close maze for a while, we found ourselves in a huge open “graveyard.” The open space and its inhabitants proved far more frightening than the tighter spots. The haunt was quite elaborate and included a moving fireplace to boot.

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