The Niles Scream Park is ready for their 48th consecutive year. They are open Fridays and Saturdays in September (8-11 pm) and Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in October (7-10 pm).
The Scream Park encompasses 44 acres and is one of the top haunted attractions in the country. They have been recognized by Haunted Attraction Magazine as one of the Top 31 must-see haunted attractions nationwide for six years running.
“We rebuild each room of all three interior haunted houses each year to provide you with new and unique shows,” said team member Aaron Smith.
The Scream Park boasts seven attractions this year.
The Niles Haunted House: the largest and most popular of the attractions, this massive haunted house leads patrons through their worst nightmares, including terrifying clowns.
Nuclear Nightmare: here, visitors role play survival in a post apocalyptic world.
The Gruesome Gallery: a horrific wax museum focused on a collection of classic iconic monsters.
Field of Screams: one of the park’s most popular attractions, this series of outdoor mazes is full of scare actors and gruesome props.
Dark Terror-tory Haunted Hayride: at about a mile long, this hayride goes through a few throwback nightmares in preparation for the park’s upcoming 50th year.
Hooded: In this exhibit requiring a safety waiver, participants are blindfolded and can be touched by the scare actors.
Mini escape rooms: fast-paced and exciting, there are 4 five-minute escape rooms new this year.
The Niles Scream Park is a non-profit community project that uses approximately 200 volunteers per night to staff it’s various attractions. These volunteers represent more than 65 Michigan and Indiana community organizations, and money brought in by the park is distributed to partner community organizations, and last year, the haunted house supported over 65 groups by donating over $109,000. Since 1996, the park has donated over two million dollars to charitable causes in addition to funding scholarships for Niles, Brandywine, Dowagiac, Cassopolis, and Edwardsburg high schools.
Chuckles the Clown - the scare actor’s stage name - illuminated the role that the scare actors play. “My favorite part about scaring people is the screams and the steamers,” he said - meaning people who literally get so scared they wet their pants. He also gave away some other trade secrets: “If we think it’s your name, we’ll use it,” he said. There are also sensors in the floor, props on timers, and tiny holes for scare actors to watch for guests.
He also auditioned for the part. “They bring us in, give us two scenarios, and tell us to go,” he said. “I listened to Rob Zombie on the way to get into my head space. . . Everyone that works here is just one big, demented family,” he laughed.
Visit www.haunted.org for more information and see a Northern Light staff member for your exclusive coupon for the Frightful Nightful.
Credits:
Story and photos by Spencer Kadlec Adobe Spark created by Astrid Code