As September comes to an end in NEPA, haunted attractions and hayrides are off to a bone-chilling start. Haunted attractions such as Reaper’s Revenge, Dracula’s Forest and Circle of Screams have dominated the area for decades, giving students a chance to release some tension and screams.

Other haunts such as Hallstead Manor, Field of Screams and Horror Hall, and Hotel of Horror have also pulled students away from the comfort of their homes to endure heart-pounding thrills and blood-curdling screams.

Circle of Screams
Located in Dickson City, Circle of Screams has been offering scares and 3D clowns to the public for more than seven years. They have three different attractions for those who dare to enter, which include The Hayride of Torture, Carnival of Fear 3D and new for the 2016 season, the Asylum Vortex.

Throughout these three attractions, evil creatures, bloodthirsty clowns and mind-twisting demons are around every corner. The tortuous adventure concludes with a horror movie on the drive-in screen, which sets this attraction apart from any others in the area.

When: Fridays and Saturdays, now through Halloween. Sundays through Nov. 1. Ticket booth opens at 6 p.m. Last ride leaves 11 p.m.

Prices: All three attractions, $25. Movie only: Adults $8, Kids $5
 

Reaper’s Revenge
Exams and thesis papers will seem much less tortuous for students once they check out Reaper’s Revenge, a haunt in Scott Township located on 60 acres of farmland.

Reaper’s Revenge holds four famous attractions for those who dare to enter, taking almost two hours to complete.

The Haunted Hayride takes thrill-enthusiasts deep into the woods, passing through the homes of satanic worshipers, insane serial killers and flesh-eating zombies. Throughout the Hayride, visitors can take a detour through the Lost Carnival, a forest walk-through where evil and demonic clowns will beg victims to stay.

For those who manage to survive the Hayride and the Lost Carnival, Pitch Black, a mind-bending maze with horrors around every corner, is the next haunted attraction. If thrill-seekers think they can handle the maze and its obstacles with ease, don’t forget, it is completely in the dark.

The fourth and newest attraction at Reaper’s Revenge brings terror to a whole new level.

Sector 13 is a post-apocalyptic wasteland where mutants, radiated victims and maniac doctors will try and take anyone who crosses their path for their next experiment.

Marywood’s Student Activities Crew (SAC) has also planned a trip to Reaper’s Revenge on Oct. 7 at 5:30 p.m. The trip is open to all students.

When: Open now until Nov. 5, Friday and Saturday, dusk to 11:00 p.m. Sundays, dusk to 10 p.m. Ticket booth opens at 6 p.m.

Prices: $35 for all four attractions

 
Dracula’s Forest
One of the oldest haunted attractions in NEPA is Dracula’s Forest, located in Ransom Township. This year, the haunted attraction is celebrating its 33rd year of screams and monsters with its two main attractions.

The Haunted Hayride is first to endure at Dracula’s Forest, where hillbillies, psychotic killers and creatures will beg for strangers to join their festivities.

Dracula’s Forest also offers Walk of Doom, a frightening forest walk-through, where one will leave the safety of the Hayride and enter into the world of bloodthirsty beasts and brutes.

When: Fridays and Saturdays, now through Halloween. Sundays through Nov. 1. Ticket booth opens at 6:30 p.m.

Price: $25 for both attractions

 
Hallstead Manor
If students are looking to travel away from Marywood to find even more killer haunted attractions, there are others located in the Nantcioke, Saylorsburg, and the Hallstead areas in Pennsylvania.

New for the 2016 season, Hallstead Manor will be opening the last weekend of September, taking haunt-goers through a real haunted house.

When: Open now until Oct. 31, Friday and Saturday, dusk to 11 p.m. Sundays, dusk to 10 p.m. Ticket booth opens at 7 p.m.

Price: Admission $20
 

Horror Hall
Horror Hall, located 40 minutes away from Marywood University, is one of the biggest indoor haunted attractions in the area. Here, students will be able to come face-to-face with monsters and killers from the big screen.

When: Open now until Oct. 30, Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. and Sundays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Price: Admission $13

 
Hotel of Horror
The city of Saylorsburg holds another large indoor haunted attraction, with three floors of killer thrills and screams. Hotel of Horror showcases state-of-the-art scares intertwined with real, spooky antiques that lie within each floor, making it different from other haunts. After thrill-seekers make it through the actual Hotel of Horror, Altered Nightmares is the next level of horror where customers will enter a world of wicked spells and voodoo.

This haunt is open rain or shine, allowing customers to come anytime to endure the hotel.
When: Open now until Nov. 5. Fridays from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m, most Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m, and Sundays from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Prices: Early Season and Sunday for both attractions, $30. Friday and Saturday from Oct. 7 on for both attractions, $35.

 
Field of Screams
Finally in Mountville, a town west of Lancaster, customers can find true haunted houses, a horrifying hayride and walk-through at the famous Field of Screams, which has been up and running for more than 26 years.

The haunt contains two haunted houses, the Den of Darkness and Frightmare Asylum. Field of Screams also offers their famous Haunted Hayride, where victims enter slaughterhouses and graveyards filled with terrifying greeters.

When: Open now until Nov. 12. As Halloween gets closer, Field of Screams opens earlier each weekend. Opening times vary from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and closing times vary from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Prices: As Halloween gets closer, Field of Screams prices vary as well. In the beginning of October, prices are as low as $35 for all four attractions, and will climb to $39 for all four attractions during the weekend of Oct.7, Oct. 14, and Oct. 21.

Grab some friends, a fall coat and all the courage there is, and head to a haunted attraction in NEPA this fall.

Contact the writer: [email protected]