Happy haunting
HAILEY HILL | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 months, 3 weeks AGO
Maniacal clowns seem to appear from nowhere when walking through Chuckles' 3D Sideshow at Scarywood.
HAILEY HILL/Press
Jack Frost towers overhead at the opening night of Scarywood on Friday night.
A scarecrow watches as people brave "The Swine - Bigger & Badder" at Scarywood's opening night on Friday.
A zombie gets her final touches backstage before heading out to haunt Scarywood on Friday night.
Actors are transformed into their spookier alter-egos by Scarywood's makeup artists on Friday night.
Two friends hold on to one another as they're stalked by a haunting figure at Scarywood on Friday night.
A group of friends laugh nervously as they make their way through Scarywood on Friday night.
ATHOL — At Scarywood, nothing is as it seems.
A scarecrow slumped against its post can come suddenly alive, sending shrieks and screams throughout its haunt.
Or, a clown with a sickening smile might emerge from what looked like a dark, empty corner.
Only one thing can be known for certain: The chills and thrills experienced by the thousands of people at Scarywood’s opening night Friday were very real.
This is the 16th year Silverwood Theme Park has transformed into Scarywood Haunted Nights, offering “bigger and badder” haunts than ever before.
New this year is “The Swine — Bigger & Badder,” a killer twist on the story of the three little pigs. Four additional haunts returned to keep guests’ adrenaline pumping, in addition to 10 scare zones.
It’s Scarywood’s production team, along with around 300 actors, that made the night’s spooky brand of magic possible.
Kaitlin Encarnacion made her scaring debut last year and jumped at the chance to return this year as a clown.
“I love everything about it,” Encarnacion said. “It’s so much fun.”
Fellow clown creeper Trinidy Tipton got her start at Scarywood four years ago as a zombie — though she had always felt that clowning was her true calling.
“I already have colorful hair and I’m energetic ... it’s pretty much perfect,” Tipton said.
Some actors learn new skills to fully embrace their alarming alter-egos.
Jonas Bovey — known to Scarywood guests as Jack Frost — strode above the crowds on stilts, a skill he picked up only about a week before opening night.
“It’s a whole new physical type of beat,” Bovey said. “I like it.”
Production manager Madison Buttice also steps into an alter-ego of sorts for Scarywood, reimagining new and exciting costumes from their collection of pieces each year.
“This is the fun part of my job,” Buttice said with a laugh. “It’s a completely different role.”
For even more thrills, most of Silverwood’s rides are open during Scarywood Haunted Nights.
Scarywood is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 7 to 11 p.m. through Nov. 2. Tickets are expected to sell out and are only available for online purchase at scarywoodhaunt.com.
Jack Frost towers overhead at the opening night of Scarywood on Friday night.
A scarecrow watches as people brave "The Swine - Bigger & Badder" at Scarywood's opening night on Friday.
A zombie gets her final touches backstage before heading out to haunt Scarywood on Friday night.
Actors are transformed into their spookier alter-egos by Scarywood's makeup artists on Friday night.
Two friends hold on to one another as they're stalked by a haunting figure at Scarywood on Friday night.
A group of friends laugh nervously as they make their way through Scarywood on Friday night.ARTICLES BY HAILEY HILL
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