A few people brave enough to venture through Fright Zone, one of the six evening attractions to choose from.

Credit: Ben Breier

Imagine a dark, dreary night at a theme park. The rides are down and the moon reflects off their metal. Raindrops blur your vision as clouds sneak in. There’s fog so thick that you can not even see your own nose. Suddenly, you run into lurking zombies and a walking, talking Snoopy as creepy music plays on repeat.

Not a typical horror scene, but these are a few of the things people can experience on a trip to Geauga Lake’s second annual Halloween Haunt, every weekend until October 30.

With many live shows, seven different daytime family fun activities and six evening haunt attractions, there is something to scare everyone. I got a small taste of the terror when I visited a media screening.

The Fright Zone

The first place I wandered through was the Fright Zone. It was still daytime, but the fog was messing up my contacts, and I could not see in front of me.

The enormous, white skull with blazing red eyes enticed me into a mystery of darkness I couldn’t escape.

Shortly after entering, I felt eyes on the back of my head and heard deep breathing. I hesitated to turn around, but kept telling myself it was only actors in scary makeup.

Then, there were five zombies skulking my way. Their pale, white faces and long, dark hair added to the eerie look. Luckily, the walk was short, so I didn’t have to surrender to their stares for long.

Big Top Terror

Ever since the Stephen King movie, It, my biggest fear has been clowns. After Fright Zone, I stumbled across the Golden Nugget Arcade adorned in circus-like decorations.

I heard screams and begged to not be dragged in, but I ventured in after I saw a clown, minus the freaky makeup, run out. Because it was a screening, the actors were still rehearsing and not completely ready.

Normally, the arcade is turned into a haunted house, resembling an evil circus. Inside Big Top Terror, you will find yourself in the big ring watching the most terrifying circus acts gone wrong with 50 looming clowns to assist your screams.

Phobia

The most disturbingly real haunted house is definitely Phobia. I had phobias before going in and came out with many more. The 20 rooms in this psychologically twisted house are reason enough to visit Halloween Haunt.

As I walked through the house, I encountered a doctor with a massive syringe, a priest sending me to hell and spiders crawling around my feet.

I had to crouch down on the floor to avoid hitting my head, step over cracks and find my way through the darkness.

Whether you’re scared or brave, Halloween Haunt allows the young at heart to keep the spirit of Halloween alive. Take friends and family to these spine-tingling attractions. If nothing else, I am sure you will get a good laugh out of it.

For admission prices and times, visit www.geaugalake.com.

Contact ALL correspondent Tiffany Strong at [email protected].