October is a time of celebrating the scary, and Pope's Haunted Farm offers a local option for doing just that.
Troy Pope opened the farm 18 years ago in Beauregard, about 20 miles east of Auburn.
"We started it 18 years ago as a hayride, and now it's grown into four full-scale events with the haunted hayride, a haunted barn, a haunted forest and a 3D clown maze," Pope said. "I've always loved Halloween, and it's just something that kind of happened."
Pope's Haunted Farm is open every Friday and Saturday from 6:30-10:30 p.m. and Sunday 6:30-9 p.m. through October.
Students say they appreciate having a haunted choice close to home.
"Obviously having a good one close to Auburn is good because the only haunted houses around that are quality are in Birmingham and Atlanta," said Corey Harris, sophomore in biomedical sciences. "It would be good not to have to drive a couple of hours to get to one when you and your friends want to go."
Harris said he and his friends love to go to haunted houses for the adrenaline rush.
"All the makeup and special effects--it's an interesting atmosphere to walk through," Harris said. "It's almost like you're an actor in a scary movie. Walking through it is a lot scarier than just watching a scary movie. It's like everything comes to life."
Hannah Nall, freshman in education, went to Pope's with a group of friends opening weekend.
"We walked through the forest," Nall said. "The scary thing was the chainsaws. Chainsaws always freak people out."
Nall said if they go back, they would make sure to catch the haunted hayride, which was closed on their first visit. Pope said the hayride, which has been around the longest, is the most popular event, and one which has changed over the years.
"I'm always looking for ways to spice up the show and make things better," Pope said. "We redo everything every year. It may be a new scene, or it may be an old scene with something different added to it. You'll never see the same show."
Pope said he gets his inspiration for these new ideas from a variety of places.
"It might be walking through the aisles at Wal-Mart and seeing something; it might be from watching a horror movie," Pope said. "Sometimes I get my ideas for the next year by going through my event and seeing that I can change it this way."
Pope said he believes his interest in what he does is what sets his haunted attraction apart from the rest.
"We have a passion for what we do, and that makes you successful in any walk of life--just having a passion and enjoying it," Pope said.
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