Terror lurks around every corner.
Any number of demonic visions could be waiting for you. Darkness and fog obscures the path, punctuated by strobe lights making you question what your eyes are seeing. Your imagination invents new horrors, amplifying your fear with every step.
And then the monster jumps out of the shadows.
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The heart-pounding, adrenaline-fueled mayhem of a haunted attraction is the highlight of the Halloween season for many fear-seekers. Normally, thousands of people flock to converted warehouses, old farms and forest trails for the chance to be scared silly.
This year may have forced haunts to change some of their approaches and safety precautions — temperature checks, masks, more social distancing whenever possible. But that won’t make the frights any less charged.
“This year we have worked hard to put together a plan that will allow us to provide a fun and safe experience to our guests,” said Jon Pianki, marketing director for Indy Scream Park. “Safety is a huge priority, and we want our guests to feel as comfortable as possible while still giving adrenaline junkies and haunt fans the thrill they’re looking for.”
Mike Kaiser Poor Farm Haunted Corn Maze
Details: 1650 N. 800 East, Franklin; dusk to dark (non-fright), dark to 11:30 p.m. (fright); today and Oct. 30-31; $10 general admission, $5 non-fright hayride, kids 5 and under free. mkpf.com
What: Workers at this rural Franklin attraction have been popping out of the corn field and scaring visitors for 20 years now. The corn maze, cut out of 6 acres of corn on the Kaisers’ property, is a tradition rooted in the community. Mike Kaiser started the attraction in 2000, after going to haunted houses with his family and being underwhelmed. All of the props used in the maze are handmade by Kaiser, a machinist by trade who uses his home workshop to recycle old junk into objects of horror.
The Mike Kaiser Poor Farm welcomes visitors looking for a terror-filled night after dark, though it also opens the corn maze from dusk to dark for a non-fright version, designed for younger guests. Due to the pandemic, organizers have opted not to offer hayrides and concessions sales, and masks are required. But COVID has not stopped the Kaisers from designating special nights to raise money for cancer research. A portion of tonight’s proceeds will go towards IU Health.
Nightmare on Edgewood
Details: 1927 S. Meridian St., Indianapolis; 7 to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Oct. 29, Nov. 6-7, 7 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 31; tickets start at $25. nightmareonedgewood.com
What: Three terrifying worlds await victims to this southside haunt, which has been in operation for the past 42 years. Navigate a dilapidated barnyard, careful to avoid the violent and monstrous farmhands on Conley Farm. Try to escape from the sadistic doctors and the patients of the Edgewood Sanitarium. Come face-to-face with Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers and Pennywise inside the Cinema. For an extra $5, guests can go through Shadows Escape, the area’s only 3D sensory experience.
As safety precautions, all actors get their temperatures checked as they clock in and wear masks onsite. All guests will also get their temperatures checked and must wear face coverings.
The Asylum House
Details: 6611 Bluff Road, Indianapolis; 8 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 31; tickets are $24. theasylumhouse.com
What: This interactive haunted house just up the road from Johnson County immerses the brave (and not-so-brave) into a series of nightmarish worlds. Ghouls roast the unsuspecting over an open fire. Half-skinned bodies await further experimentation in a dungeon laboratory. Jack the Ripper looks for his next victims.
The haunt, which has been in operation for 24 years, has moved around to a number of different southside locations. But what has remained constant is the team’s commitment to assembling a disorienting and scream-producing labyrinth for their guests. Safety precautions such as mandatory masks and social distancing are required.
Indy Scream Park
Details: 5211 S. New Columbus Road, Anderson; 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 7, 7 to 10:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays; tickets start at $19.95, indyscreampark.com.
What: This haunt may be more of a trek than other attractions, but serious fear-seekers may find it worth the trip. Indy Scream Park was named the state’s best haunted house in 2019 by IndianaHauntedHouses.com, and is consistently one of best in the country. Different areas of horror await guests — Backwoods, Mutation, Zombieland: Unchained Kilgore’s 3D Circus, Nightmare Factory: Blackout and Monster Midway.
The newest addition is Zombie Paintball Assault, where people enter an abandoned school bus equipped with paintball guns and shoot glow-in-the-dark paintballs at a horde of zombies.
As part of Indy Scream Park’s COVID safety plan, the park will be open at 50% capacity, with health checks for guests and face coverings required for everyone on site.
