Haunted Houses

Ghouls night out

Haunted houses provide chills, thrills for fall season

Ava Hunt huntava000@hsestudents.org

Halloween time, otherwise known as spooky season, instills a sense of fright in the air. At some venues, the entirety of the atmosphere is dedicated to attempting to scare the participants. Actors put on their best spine-shrilling costumes and lurk in unexpected places, waiting for visitors to walk around the corner. Haunted houses are a signi cant and popular attraction during this time of the year. e houses can range in levels of scare factor, allowing people to choose the best suited attraction dependent on their terror threshold. For individuals who are interested in seeking out a feeling of fear this season, there are plenty of options near Fishers to choose from. Indy Screampark Located in Anderson, Indiana, Indy Screampark draws attention from people all over. With its six separate attractions within the park, participants can select which ones they want to go through depending on what they are interested in. Freshman Rosie Stephan was able to experience four out of the six attractions. “My favorite one was the Zombieland Unchained one,” Stephan said. “It was the scariest and most creative. ey even had our group walk through an old school bus during it.” In terms of scariness factor, Indy Screampark has many accolades to prove their frightfulness. According to their website, they were voted in 2020 as being top three of the USA’s best haunted houses by USA’s best haunted houses. However, Stephan believes that not all of the attractions were heart pumping. “In general, it wasn’t super scary because it is supposed to be inclusive of younger ages,” Stephan said. “A couple were pretty scary though, like the backwoods one.” Indy Screampark is open on Sundays and weeknights from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Fridays from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., and Saturdays from 7 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Prices for a single ticket vary depending on what night of the week attended, but they range anywhere from $24.95 to $41.95. ey also o er fast passes, whose price varies. e park will remain open until Nov. 7. “I would rate it a three out of ve because it was a fun time with my friends, but the lines were long and the price was a lot,” Stephan said. “ ey also don’t change the attractions enough, so it’s not super fun to go multiple times.” Hanna Haunted Acres

Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, Hanna Haunted Acres is considered a staple in the Indy haunted house community. It provides visitors with ve separate houses and o ers a haunted hayride. Senior Brooke Hilbert had the pleasure of going and recalls her time spent at the venue. “At the beginning, they had a doctor and walked you through the experience as if you were in a haunted hospital,” Hilbert said. “ ose are my favorite types of haunted houses because they are super realistic and immerse yourself in the house.” Since Hilbert has attended, the themes of the attractions have shi ed a bit. ey currently o er Hanna’s haunted hayride, Acres Manor, Cannibal Chaos, Freakshow, the Horror Fields and Descension. e attractions vary between being inside and outside and one of them, the Descension, takes participants

through a pitch-black haunt. “My favorite attraction was the corn maze when I went,” Hilbert said. “Since it was outside, there were a lot more hidden places people could hide and scare you. It was a lot more unexpected.” Hanna’s Haunted Acres is open Sundays and weekdays from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. Prices for a single ticket vary depending on what night of the week attended, but they range anywhere from $26.95 to $41.95, with the ability to add on fast passes. e last day they are open for this year is Oct. 31. “I would rate it a three and a half out of ve because it is not as scary as Indy scream park in my opinion,” Hilbert said. “ e haunted houses were a bit more limited, but it was still super fun.” Necropolis Located in Indianapolis, Necropolis Underground Haunted attraction is a full underground 50,000 square foot civilization used to haunt tourists. It o ers four di erent attractions that newly includes a midway-style game area where there is axe throwing, escape rooms and a tarot booth. Senior JP Preston describes a moment where his adrenaline kicked in during his visit to Necropolis. “I was deathly afraid of clowns at the time, and we entered through the clown attraction,” Preston said. “It had my heart racing but ended up being my favorite one we went through.” Necropolis’ attractions include Nightmare House, Cemetery of the Damned, Dead and Breakfast and the Bunker, all of which are indoor attractions. Since the location of the venue is underground, Preston thought that its obscureness contributed to its di culty to nd. “It was in this thing that looked like a warehouse behind some buildings but there wasn’t much signage saying where it was,” Preston said. “It wasn’t easy to nd at all and we spent forever looking for it.” Necropolis is closed on the weekdays, but open on Friday and Saturday from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. and on the last two Sundays in October from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.. A single general admission ticket costs $35, while a fast pass ticket costs $50. e last day to attend Necropolis is Oct. 31. “I would give it a four out of ve on the scariness factor, but a two out of ve on the overall factor,” Preston said. “It was very short and I don’t think it was worth the money. I will say that the scary stu did leave my heart pounding though.”

Share your haunted house stories with us by messaging our Instagram @ fhstigertimes.

Graphics by Ava Hunt.