With animatronic monsters towering over 14 feet tall, flame-blasting machine guns and a small army of comedians lined up to scare the dickens out of thrill-seekers, Rick Van Gilder is looking forward to the haunted attractions next to his Grand River Corn Maze this year.
The Slaughter House, which has been given a perfect score on the online haunted house guide zioptis.com, is also joined by a haunted hayride and maze off Grand River Avenue, between Howell and Fowlerville.
"We think about this stuff all year long ? 'How can we scare someone better?' " Van Gilder said. "We really rock some of them. It should be good."
Livingston County thrill-seekers don't have to go far for haunted attractions this year. At last count, more than a dozen places throughout the county are holding some sort of Halloween-themed event, each trying to one-up the next.
Paul Garrison said his Haunting at Mt. Frighten has a bevy of "unique" attractions, including a 20-foot long vortex tunnel, a black light 3-D room, and a "waterworld." The attraction is at the Mt. Brighton Ski Area, 4141 Bauer Road, Genoa Township.
"Every year we try to add a little bit more and, of course, that has largely to do with how you lay it out," Garrison said. "The ideas that spring in your mind one year come to fruition the next year.
"Sometimes we may take something we've retired and bring it back in a different way. If you don't change it from year to year, you won't get return customers."
The Howell Eagles Club is sponsoring the event, and will receive a portion of the proceeds, as will the Howell High School marching band, choir and drama club, the Hartland High School varsity football team, Hartland High School cross country ski team, Howell High School Robotics Club, Howell's Interact Club and Crossroads Apostolic Church in Marion Township.
Jim Mayhew has been taking a different approach from the scare tactics of other venues, by lining up scary and family-friendly events.
Mayhew's Tree Farm ? off Fowlerville Road, just south of the Interstate 96 interchange in Handy Township ? has a family-friendly hayride to a pick-your-own pumpkin patch, which transforms at night to a haunted hayride through "Death Valley Cemetery" and "Tombstone Ghost Town."
"I think we have the biggest pumpkin patch in Livingston County," Mayhew said. "The hayrides and stuff, it's more family-oriented, and stuff."
Mayhew's Fall Festivities have been going on for more than a decade now. Nowadays, the event also features corn and straw mazes.
"We started doing it basically to let people know where we are," Mayhew said. "Since then, it's blossomed out a little bit."
One of the haunts that won't be making a repeat appearance this year, due to declining attendance, is the haunted house at the Howell Opera House.
Van Gilder said that leaves a void, but there seem to be many suitors willing to fill that position.
The Terrorfied Forest and Terrorfied Manor off Swarthout Road in Putnam Township and the Legend of Sleepy Howell are two of the more prominent events that will be getting into festive moods this year. The latter will, once again, feature an attempt to break the world record for most pumpkins lit at one time. Howell collected 791 last year, well short of the record of 26,972.
Some newcomers this year include the Sweet Apple Ranch, located near Fleming and Marr roads in Howell Township, which will be offering a haunted forest and hayride; and the SouthEast Michigan Ghost Hunters Society, which will be sharing on Oct. 26 at the Cromaine District Library its findings from a recent paranormal investigation in Hartland Township.
With all the attractions to see, naturally, some places have had to diversify to keep up with the times.
"There's a lot more than just running through the corn and finding your way out of the maze," Van Gilder said.
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