There is a haunted house in Middletown that might scare students even more than the thought of final exams. The Land of Illusion haunted theme park opened for the season Sept. 7 and will be open until Nov. 3.
Unlike many similarly themed haunted houses that are constructed and torn down annually, the Land of Illusion buildings stay up all year long, said park proprietor Brett Oakley.
"We are in the business of scaring people," Oakley said. "We never tear Halloween down."
And according to Oakley, guests will not just see typical ghouls, ghosts and goblins if they venture the 40 minutes from Miami University's campus to the theme park.
Instead of just one haunted house at Oakley's venture, which he started 10 years ago as a fund-raiser for the Middletown volunteer fire department, the location includes four separate haunted adventures.
Attractions at the park include the Middletown Haunted Trail, Dr. Psycho's Haunted Estate, Killer Clowns and The Temple of Terror.
Customers can purchase tickets based on the number of exhibits they want to visit. Prices are quoted on a per person basis and range from $20 for any two "terrors" to $30 for all four. Patrons can visit individual exhibitions as well for a different price.
Oakley said typically the staff does not charge parents who just want to stay at the park while their children venture.
Land of Illusion has grown from its modest beginnings. The park now employs more than 100 people, Oakley said. He said he receives anecdotal comments from fans and colleagues that rank the park as one of their top five favorite parks in the country.
Oakley explained that he would also like to continue to add more animation to various features and next year he wants to try to add the first amusement park type ride, though he could provide no details of what that ride might be.
"Every dime I make I invest back in to the park trying to make it better," Oakley said.
The park is open from dark until 12:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights, and from dark until 11 p.m. Sundays during the month of October. It is open rain or shine, and is located on the outskirts of Middletown at 8762 Thomas Rd.
And some Miami students have fond-or perhaps a bit more traumatizing-memories of growing up visiting haunted houses. Sophomore Sarah Draper said last time she visited a haunted house she was 13.
"Sometimes haunted houses scare me because I'm a jumpy person," Draper said. "I get freaked out when people jump out and scare me."
Draper's fear is grounded in experience. During her last visit to a haunted house a character slammed his staff into her foot rather than the ground as he intended.
"I think I screamed loud enough to scare the guys I was with," Draper said.
For those not interested in venturing off campus to get a Halloween fix, Wilson Hall, located on Miami's East quad, will be hosting its annual haunted house this year.
"Running our haunted house gives us a chance to have fun with Halloween," said Stephanie Reed, graduate first-year adviser in Wilson. "Having the house on campus makes it easy for people to get to."
Sophomore business major Caleb Junk visited his last haunted house in fourth grade and the vivid memories remain. Junk remembers a station that involved reaching a hand into a covered box and squishing cold spaghetti masquerading as brains.
"Going to a haunted house is even more scary than going to your girlfriend's house when you have to meet her parents for the first time," Junk said.
The Wilson Hall haunted house will be Sunday, Oct. 14 beginning at 8 p.m. Admission to the house is $5 and proceeds will be donated to a charity that is yet to be determined.
Haunted tours will be lead by Wilson residents Reed said. She expects that there will be approximately 10 haunted scenes for visitors to view. Reed couldn't give specifics regarding scenes because the scenes change yearly based on resident preferences.
Reed said the house has been a fall tradition for as long as she can remember.
"It is pretty popular, people should plan to be early," Reed said.
