Simply Eerie-sistable

Get more than a jump scare the next two Saturdays in October during the 23rd season of The Haunted Forest at Sycamore Lodge.You’ll visit 12 different haunted houses, each with a spooky theme that can include clowns, skeletons, shrinking walls, creepy dolls and more. “Anything from a nightmare you can think of, we have,” says Renea McGhee, the lead guide, with a smile. “My favorite part is seeing their faces, knowing they got the thrill they paid for.”

At this monsterpiece, assembled over months and run by volunteers, no two years are the same. All of the proceeds go toward the Lymphoma & Leukemia Society. “Many of us help with this each year in honor of someone we lost to cancer,” says Renea.

Visitors are grouped into parties of 10, and take about 30-45 minutes to get through the haunt. “Some people get really scared and we have runners that boogie through,” says Chuck Irby, the lead builder. “One year we had a girl run through a wall, she got so scared. We actually had to stop and repair the wall.

At the end, you’ll even get to cast your vote for scariest house. The winning group of volunteers gets bragging rights and a little trophy.

Unlike your last blind date, haunted forests look way less scary in the light of day. Not even we were allowed inside the haunt’s “houses” for photos.

An onsite concession stand sells hamburgers, nachos, funnel cakes and more (sorry, all the boos you’ll find is are the forest). There’s also a “safe area” where people will small kids, or people just too scared to enter, can sit unbothered. We guess we should mention the haunted forest isn’t recommended for kids under 10, and there are strobe lights and fog machines galore. 

• Ready to drink this ghoul-aid? Visit Oct. 21 or Oct. 28 from 6:30-11 p.m. Tickets are $20 / $15 military. They even added a fast lane this year for an additional $10.