ATHOL — Menacing clowns linger in Clown Town, taunting and haunting their unsuspecting victims.

"I'm Miss Giggles," a colorfully costumed clown character said, breaking into high-pitched maniacal laughter. "I like to feed the guests food and then I take them to my basement and let's just say, I'm a girl who's full of surprises."

Within the erratic lights and dense fog, the clowns of Clown Town crank up the creep factor of Scarywood Haunted Nights.

"One of my favorite spots is Clown Town," said Mark Robitaille, director of marketing and communications for Silverwood Theme Park. "People freak out with clowns."

Spirits and heart rates were high Friday during the opening night of Scarywood's eighth season. About 2,000 people flooded the normally mild-mannered theme park seeking chills and thrills in celebration of the Halloween season.

"It's exciting, people love to be scared," Robitaille said. "We also have a level of the entertainment factor. Not everyone's going to be scared. The Zombiewood Express train ride is entertaining, and zombies are big right now. People are loving the zombies and they're loving the excitement that goes along with the train ride."

The five main attractions have returned for another season — Caved In, Blood Bayou, 3Dementia, Total Darkness and the Zombiewood Express. Each presents its own brand of nightmare- inducing terror, from the disorientation and delirium of the bright and loud 3Dementia to the disturbing and blood-splattered scenes of Blood Bayou.

"They do such a good job with it," said Grady Williams of Coeur d'Alene, who attended opening night with his wife and kids. "It's not like an average haunted house. They go way above and beyond."

Along with the main attractions, the park is peppered with scare zones, including Scarecrow Corner, the Dollhouse and the Nest. Guests who wander through will be asking themselves, "Is that a real doll? Did that scarecrow just move? Is something following me?"

And the answer will probably be yes; about 130 characters, from mutated pig men to giant Grim Reaper types, are lurking around every corner to catch people off guard and give them a fright.

"It's awesome, it's incredible," said Brandon Forland, who was enjoying his first experience at Scarywood.

"It's super fun and actually scary," said Forland's friend, Heather Lewis. "I'm so hot right now from freaking out."

Many of Silverwood's adrenaline-pumping rides are open during Scarywood, including the Corkscrew roller coaster, the Sizzler and more. The Timber Terror roller coaster will be running backward for an added level of exhilaration.

While Scarywood is a fun place for spine-tingling thrills, the Silverwood staff is also making sure it's a safe place. The suggested age is 13, no masks, weapons or alcohol are allowed to be brought into the park and security will be checking bags at the entrance.

"It's a concern these days that we don't take lightly, so we've taken extra precatutions for both Silverwood and Scarywood," Robitaille said. "For Scarywood we quadruple our security force."

Scarywood is open through Oct. 29 Thursdays from 6:30-11 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Prices are $26 on Thursdays, $33 on Fridays and $40 on Saturdays.

Info: www.scarywoodhaunt.com