Long gone are carefree days beholden to no one other than myself. Through 2015, I would be on the road, every weekend, to parts unknown just as soon as that first haunted house was open for business. Somewhere along the way, I developed a desire to cross the veil, and so I did. For the better part of the last decade I could be found in character come fall — the scaree had become the scarer.
My first son was born in 2015 followed by his brother some seven years later in 2022. I discovered that being a parent was all encompassing and that meant less time to be on the road or in character. Nowdays, I’m mostly content to cover the industry from my desk.
Mostly.
Oh yes, those crisp fall nights still call to me, and on a few ocassions each season, I allow myself to be enchanted once more by that charming siren’s song. Last year, I ventured to nearby Deranged and The Scream Machine. Then, the Disco Devil and I toured Spooky’s Fright Night and Distracted. Our next and final outing saw us burn rubber south of the state line where we were gobsmacked by Ghoul Brothers House of Horrors and Chippewa Lake Slaughterhouse!
So, with only a handful of nights available where shall find ourselves this October? Well, I’m not entirely sure just yet, but options abound. Let’s explore the possible selections below.
In The Mitten
I wouldn’t mind dropping in on the second itteration of Terrorfied Forest in Pinckney which opened in a new location last year. On my radar also is Haunting in the Hills in Onsted, as well as Awaken in Leslie which I haven’t visited since it debuted back in 2016.
Elsewhere, is Bates Haunted Sawmill in Millington which would pair just fine with the Edson Incident docked in Bay City. Ever since a 2005 trip through the Naughtical Nightmare in River Rouge, I’ve longed to visit another ship turned haunted attraction.
Finally, on the western side of the state is Grand Rapids’ The Haunt, Abandoned Acres Farm of Sparta, or Nightmare Realm just west of Kalamazoo in a village name Paw Paw.
Oodles & Oodles in Ohio
Of course, there’s also options in neighboring Ohio, a state that is absolutely crawling with haunted attractions of all types. I do believe that I’m sold on a trip to Haunted Hoorah. If the video that plays on the homepage of Haunted Hoorah’s website is any indication, the production value is excellent. While driving back from Carnage (now Scream) three years ago, we had planned to check out Haunted Hoorah then, but a need for sleep had the pedal to the metal all the way home.
Plenty of options to pair with Haunted Hoorah as well. In the immediate are is Dead Woods and Phobia Haunted Trail. Head west and you’ll find Hammer Brother’s Haunted Circus in Waynesfield with additional attractions not terribly far from there. Head east and Mohican Haunted Schoolhouse and Blood Prison could provide nightmare fuel for years to come.
So, where do we end up this fall? I’ll leave that up to the unseen hand which has always delivered October magic.
