POST FALLS - Just a warning: uncaged Post Falls Lions Club members have been plotting against you seasonal thrill seekers.

The nonprofit opens its haunted house fundraiser, "Nightmare on Fourth Street," at 6 p.m. Friday at Fourth and Post.

"We'll have plenty of surprises," said Rick Steele, club president. "We've changed about half of the house this year. The people who have gone through it in the pre-season have been impressed."

Steele said the Lions know they've done their job when visitors enter the house with a sweatshirt or jacket on and they come out with it wrapped around their waist.

"Several people wet their pants each year," he said. "We'll see people darn near trample each other trying to get out of the house."

Among the changes, the Lions have revamped the dizzying trommel.

"It's very challenging to the senses because of its bright colors," Steele said. "Pretty much everybody who looks at it has vertigo."

Not-so-cozy clowns await guests.

"The new clown room will be scary," Steele said.

A werewolf section has also been reinstated.

"We've been doing a lot of searching on the Web for new ideas and we have a professional makeup artist," Steele said.

If chain saws wielded by freaky figures don't get your heart pumping, perhaps what awaits behind the drop windows will.

Adding to the haunting experience are New Vision Alternative High School and Post Falls High teens who can't wait to make you scream. A portion of the proceeds benefit programs of students who volunteer. Other funds are spent on youth scholarships and eye care for those in need.

"Some of the volunteer students show up two hours early just to sign up for the specialty room where they want to be," Steele said. "They get super excited about the fact that they get to scare people silly."

Steele remembers one year motorcycle club members stopped by to test their macho personalities.

"One huge biker guy with tattoos had to take an out because it was just too much for him," he said. "The others sure razzed him."

An average of 3,000 people have visited the haunted house in recent years.

It will be held 6 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays in October. It is also open 6-10 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, to Thursday, Oct. 30, and Halloween night from 6 p.m. to midnight. Cost is $7 or $6 with two cans of food, which will be donated to Post Falls students in need.

Concessions will be available.

The fundraiser has been held for about 40 years. It was recognized by USA Today in the past as being among the best in the nation.

"Even with competition, it's still a viable fundraiser for us," Steele said. "All of the money we raise goes back into the community."

• Spooky times

The Post Falls Lions Club's haunted house fundraiser will be held from 6 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays in October. It is also open Sunday, Oct. 26, to Thursday, Oct. 30, from 6-10 p.m. and Halloween night from 6 p.m. to midnight. Cost is $7 or $6 with two cans of food, which will be donated to Post Falls students in need.