Alex Kincaid is a freshman journalism major and writes ‘Strange Indiana’ for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper or Unified Student Media. Write to Alex at amkincaid@bsu.edu.
You’ll scream, you’ll laugh and maybe you’ll cry.
Lucky for Ball State students, Indiana is home to some of the most highly rated Halloween attractions in the country. For anyone who is searching for a haunting experience that will leave them shaking and speechless hours afterward, it’s only a small drive away to the two best attractions.
Indy Screampark, located in Anderson, Ind., is voted No. 1 by USA’s Best Haunted Houses.
The Screampark features five haunted houses and three huge fire pits with food, beverages and beer. These haunted houses are not your typical Halloween attractions, they are thoroughly thought out. Each portion of the Screampark seems to target a specific, common fear among people.
This year’s most sought after attraction in the park is the Brickmore Asylum. It’s built around the concept of an asylum run by a crazy doctor, who was also a mass murderer, eventually killed by his patients.
This asylum house is based around the anecdote of a Ball State student who went to Brickmore Asylum to do an investigation. The legend is centered around Emily Green, who’s footage was found a month later in the woods outside of the asylum.
Indy Screampark claimed her footage was dismissed by police for appearing to be a hoax, but it challenges the audience to determine for themselves whether or not it was real. This video can be found on indyscreampark.com or the Indy Screampark Haunted House Youtube channel.
By basing its main attraction on this story, the Screampark is personalizing this haunted house and connecting people to the elements inside by interweaving a much more daunting story that would frighten any college student.
Along with the Brickmore Asylum attraction, there is Backwoods, Bedlam 3D, Nachtmahr and Infected. Each attraction has a different fear associated with the exhibit, from being trapped in nightmare to finding yourself in the middle of a horrifying epidemic.
And if Indianapolis is too far of a drive, there are multiple horrifying Halloween attractions located in Muncie.
Created by Brian Blair, Scarevania is one of Muncie’s scariest attractions. It’s graphic and aimed at an older crowd, so children under 13 are not recommended to visit this haunted house.
Scarevania is both an indoor and outdoor Halloween attraction. The outdoor trail consists of more than 50 actors who are looking to terrify their victims.
“I have never been more frightened,” Kaitlyn Helmer, a freshman advertising major, said. “The characters really played on my most prominent fears.”
Keeping with Scarevania tradition, every year on Halloween, the actors celebrate “Blood Night,” which consists of soaking the actors in blood and creating a much more gory and intense night of fright.
“It’s a good fun way to get scared and get your adrenaline going,” Blair said.
Blair also owns Pumpkin Pulp Productions, an industry that makes Halloween props that get sent out all over the world. He makes all of the props for Scarevania and said it makes it the most original haunt there is.
If fully experiencing Halloween by terrifying yourself is on your list of things to do this season, these attractions will leave you satisfied.
In the words of Blair, those who most enjoy haunted Halloween attractions must simply have “a love for fear.”
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