Treacherous Travels

 

 

by Luke Glaser

You walk down dark hallways surrounded by the living dead. There are doors on all sides, with screams erupting from every direction. Terrifying shapes, blurred by mist, move past you.

No, this is not the Chem-Physics building. This is the thrilling atmosphere of one of Lexington’s haunted houses.

Screampark, located on Manchester Street, is home to three terrifying experiences: Insanity, an asylum gone wrong, Castle of Fear, a medieval fortress, and The Abyss, a twisting maze of darkness. Eddy Embry and Tyler Barnett are the owners of Screampark, and they are proud of the many unique features that won Screampark the honor of one of America’s Best Haunts.

“Every night is different,” Barnett said. “We have people come from all over the country, and no experience is the same.” Embry and Barnett attribute their success to vivid attention to both detail and scare factor. The objects of fear can be seen, heard, and smelled. As visitors walk through a graveyard, the smell of dirt fills their nostrils. As they run through a hospital room, the smells of sterilization are overwhelming. Walk through a bathroom and, well…

”We let your psychological fears take over,” Embry said. The old factory that houses Screampark is rumored to be haunted, and ghost hunts occur every Thursday and Sunday night. People interested in doing scare roles for Screampark must audition, and the effects for the park are done by the same company that works for Disney World. All three of Screampark’s haunts are available for $16.

“Bring an extra pair of underwear,” Barnett said.

Wicked World on Tates Creek Road is one of Lexington’s other destinations for Halloween thrillseekers. Their two fright attractions are much longer in length than most haunted houses.

The Nightmare Haunted House, a hospital overrun by demons, is a 25 minute ride of frighteningly realistic proportions.

“We have authentic hospital equipment from an old hospital that was being torn down,” haunted house owner Dear Stephens said. “We spend so much time on detail.”

Terror on Tates Creek is Wicked World’ second attraction. It is unique in that it is an outdoor scare, lasting a horrifying half hour. At $20 for both attractions, Stephens believes that “we offer the best scare for your dollar. Everyone that comes out lets us know that we are the best.”

Marketing sophomore Taylor Blair agreed with Stephens’ assesment of Wicked World.

“I was scared out of my wits.”

At around the same price, and most assuredly the same amount of scare, Screampark and Wicked World make Lexington’s haunts a national destination for thrillseekers, ghosthunters and UK students alike.