It was dark. That was all she knew. The blood-curdling screams rang in her ears so loudly she could not hear herself breathe. The sound of heavy footsteps behind her was getting louder. Her heart was beating uncontrollably. She was almost certain it was about to pop out of her chest and roll into the puddle of blood she was standing in.
Then she saw it: a bright white light. The tour of the haunted house was nearly over.
People normally try to avoid situations such as this, however, during the Halloween season something comes over them.
They desperately seek opportunities to be scared out of their wits. They have a craving that can only be cured with fear.
Lucky for Auburn residents, antidotes are near. There are a number of hauntings waiting to be explored minutes from Auburn.
Popes Haunted Farm, 15 miles from Auburn in Salem, is a triple-haunt threat.
With three events to choose from, visitors are bound to find a thrill-satisfying scare. The haunted hayride, themed after the movie Saw, is an exhilarating favorite that keeps people coming back for more.
"We're probably the only hayride in the country that you sit on a hay bail," said owner Troy Pope. "Another twist is you've got the creepy music and your creeping through the woods and all of a sudden a chainsaw maniac crawls up on the wagon and things flying over your head, things you wouldn't expect."
If that isn't satisfying, perhaps a walk through the haunted barn or haunted forest will be. Both of these attractions are guaranteed to be spine-chilling.
"I am not scared easily," said Krista Autrey, junior in human development and family studies, "but once I walked into the darkness of the haunted forest and was greeted by a man with a chainsaw I was never the same."
The last days of operation for Popes Farms are this weekend, Oct. 29-31.
The haunting begins at 7 p.m. and ends at 11 p.m. Ticket prices vary depending on the number of events wanting to be experienced: $12 for one event, $20 for two events and $28 for three events. Tickets can be purchased at the door.
Another local haunting not too far from Auburn is Sloss Furnace in Birmingham.
Built in 1882, Sloss Furnace operated as a pig iron-blasting furnace until its closing in 1971. The Birmingham police records have more than 100 recorded incidents of paranormal activity at Sloss Furnace.
According to an investigation held in 2003 by the Alabama Foundation for Paranormal Research, "There is no doubt, Sloss is a hotspot for paranormal activity. During our investigations we pulled data that confirms, through our scientific methods and approach, that energies are present that cannot be explained. Sloss is one of the most paranormally active places our team has investigated."
Many Auburn students have already made the two-hour drive to Birmingham to experience the bone chilling fright Sloss Furnace offers.
"I was scared out of my mind the whole time," said Hilary Dukes, junior in biomedical sciences. "I especially liked it because it was actually haunted; it was one of the best haunted houses I have been to in Alabama."
The tour is a half-mile trail of horror and fright.
With themed rooms, guests get to experience the panic of hillbilly hell, zombie attack and a 3D maze in fright vision. The tour takes 30-40 minutes, depending on how fast one can run.
Sloss Fright Furnace is open for the remainder of October. It opens at sundown and quits selling tickets at 11 p.m. weekdays and 12 p.m. weekends.
Admission is $15, but they only accept cash or checks on site. Tickets can also be purchased ahead of time at frightfurnace.com.
The next haunted house featured, The Netherworld, is ranked the No. 2 best haunted house in America by Hauntworld Magazine.
The Netherworld is located less than 150 miles from Auburn in Atlanta. Featured nationally on NBC's Today Show, CNBC and in USA Today, The Netherworld is a must see.
Brandon Kunze, senior in business, made a visit last week.
"The drive was definitely worth it," Kunze said. "The scenery and special effects were unbelievable."
The Netherworld features two haunts: Blood Night and Zombie Land.
The Travel Channel describes it as follows: "Man eating monsters, stomach churning make-up, mind-blowing scenery. No you aren't on the set of the latest Hollywood slasher flick, you're in Netherworld, and in this horror movie, the victim is you!"
The Netherworld is open weeknights in October from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. and weekends from 7 p.m. to midnight.
It is also open the first two weekends of November from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
To avoid crowds at the box office, tickets can be purchased at fearworld.com.
Blood Night admission is $20 or $25 for both Blood Night and Zombie Land.
If vampires or zombies aren't scary enough, check out the nearby haunted funeral home.
Haunted Hollow Funeral Home and Casket Company, located 30 miles north of Auburn in Valley, is a sure to cause skin to crawl and nerves to tingle.
The trail includes a tour through the ruins of the haunted funeral home, a haunted trail and the cemetery mines maze. The excitement and rush of fear from this ghostly tour will keep guests dying for more.
Haunted Hollow is open Oct. 29-31. From 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. EST Thursday and 7:30 p.m. to midnight EST Friday and Saturday nights. Admission for Oct. 29 is $10, while it is $12 for Oct. 30 and 31.
Admission includes a tour of all three events. All events are outdoors therefore operation is subjected to weather conditions.
If the distance is a problem, perhaps something a little closer to home would be of interest.
SpringVilla Park in Opelika turns into a frightening trail of horror during October. It features a haunted house, a haunted trail and a haunted maze.
Tickets go on sale at sunset, and it closes at 10:30 p.m.
Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for kids 10 and younger. Don't miss out on this eerie adventure.
The Halloween season is almost over, so instead of staying at home to watch a scary horror flick, get out and be apart of one.
As spooky endeavors are undertaken, remember the wise words of Dexter Kozen, "An' if something' scares you and you want to run, jus' let on like it's Halloween fun."
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