Traveling to the Scream Country Haunted Forest in Drumright feels like the setup of a horror movie, with poorly marked streets devolving into darkened gravel roads winding outside a small town in the middle of nowhere.
According to owner Chance Newman, it doesn't get any easier after that.
"On a scale of one to four skulls, four being the scariest, we would be four skulls," he said.
The complex hosts three haunted attractions: "Necronomicon Nightmare," "Camp Blood: Dead by Dawn" and "Harvest of Darkness." Newman said that the outdoor atmosphere is the "star of our horror show."
"We are not in a strip mall or building, so the forest and crisp October air make for a very creepy backdrop," he said.
Reservations are taken at www.screamcountry.com for specific times to roam through Scream Country, open every Friday and Saturday through October. Admission is $18, or $35 for a pass that allows for line-skipping.
Closer to home, organizers of the long-running Bricktown Haunted Warehouse are staging the venue's farewell performance at its current location at the corner of Flaming Lips Alley and Oklahoma Avenue.
Celebrating its 26th year, the Haunted Warehouse is open nightly through Oct. 31 and features two stories worth of frights. Tickets are $15 each or $22.50 to include a trip on the the 3-D Haunted Dungeon Dark Ride in the basement.
Tumbleweed Terror, a new entry on the haunted house market, is carving out its place in Stillwater. Sprawled out over 80 acres, the attraction is more comparable to an amusement park than a haunted house, according to production assistant Madison Longust.
"We have six different haunts, and it is situated so it is more of a continual haunt," Longust said. "Each haunt has its own theme where we play off of different fears."
Blacked-out areas, hayrides and insane asylums are among the attractions, but a particularly novel addition is Mortal Tag.
"Mortal Tag is more of a game, a paintball challenge," Longust said. "Patrons are given a paintball gun with seven rounds, and their goal is to make it all the way through the haunt without getting tagged by our actors, who have painted hands."
Recommended for ages 16 and up, Tumbleweed Terror is open every weekend this month, with a costume contest on Oct. 30 with $2,000 in prizes.
Science Museum Oklahoma offers a slightly more sedate Halloween experience for kids with its "Bright Night of Not-So-Frightening Fun."
Clayton Moore, who holds the title of "wonder instigator and relevance czar" at the museum, said the night will focus on the science behind the creepy, gross and weird, rather than trying to terrify guests.
"You can't always take the 5-year-olds with the 15-year-olds, because it is a little too much for the young ones," Moore said. "We decided to put an evening together that is a little bit for everyone. You can come dressed up."
The event starts at 6 p.m. on Oct. 29, and lasts until 8:30 a.m. the following day. Not everyone will stay the night, Moore said, but those who do will be served breakfast. Hands-on activities and special presentations in the OmniDome Theater and planetarium are planned, including all-night movies. Tickets are $45.
"Six or 7 is a good age to start with," Moore said, "and if you have kids around in third through ninth grade, it is a whole lot of fun, because they can do everything pretty much unguided and then it becomes all about the science, being goofy and having fun." "Charles Martin
Tumbleweed Terror in Stillwater
