Best horror attractions 2018: ‘Field of Screams’ (Mountville, Pennsylvania)

Humans looking for a satisfying scare during the Halloween season can enjoy a steady supply of potent shocks unleashed by the Schopf family at their annual “Field of Screams” horror event buried within Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Mainly orchestrated by the brothers, Jim and Gene, this 26th season again offers a midway of carnival-style games, a collection of roughly 300 roaming maniacs and creatures, and four main areas of terror spread out over the family’s 35-acre farm.

Here’s a reminder of the quartet of attractions, averaging about 20 minutes each, awaiting potential victims.

• Haunted Hayride — Perhaps the crowning jewel of the Schopf brothers’ insanity, the traditional tractor ride loads about two dozen guests on a trailer and methodically drives them through cornfields and 10 claustrophobic warehouses of scares.

Expect a revamped pig slaughterhouse, a run in with Crazy Dave and his Hillbilly family, a greenhouse harboring a “Lord of the Rings”-sized spider, a psycho circus and a “live” beheading.

• Nocturnal Wasteland — Take roughly a 15-minute, sweaty stroll through a 3/4-acre obstacle course filled with mutated killers and environmental dangers around every one of the sometimes caged and elevated corners within the forested terrain.

Besides imbibing the spooky smoky ambiance, cries of anguish, some electrifying shacks, traversing over the Haunted Hayride and escaping through a series of sewer pipes, guests will truly appreciate the new neon green swamp. A visual special effect plunges a victim up to his torso in faux-goo while ghouls stalk them.

• Nightmare Asylum — While walking through four floors of the closed Applewood Mental Hospital, temporary patients meet and greet inmates, doctors, nurses and rotting clowns hiding in surgical room, containment pens and storage areas who look plucked from the “Hostel” horror films.

The smell of decay permeates the rooms and “live” operations are sure to cause some to urp as they witness horrors in a grotesque autopsy room and all new reanimation experimental lab.

• Den of Darkness — Built in the 1840s, this converted barn-turned-mansion reeks of age and foreboding atmosphere with each room, and its ghoulish occupants challenge a visitor’s escape. Brave souls eventually climb up and down stairs within the Victorian setting, through a doll shop, a spiders’ lair, corpse collection and even an area that will challenge the fittest ghostbusters.

Although I do miss the Den’s séance when walking in, its replacement offers a more claustrophobic scare.

Overall, it’s worth noting that the creatures were especially grabby and in victims’ faces this year. It was not unusual to see one of pig killers literally butting their snout against a victim or getting a not very politically correct proposition by a demented hillbilly.

Those wearing pants should be expect to be grabbed below the knees anywhere where ghouls can be hiding at ground level, and anyone who shows fear will get swarmed upon by the scariest of creatures.

As per tradition each year, I pick my favorite ghoul and this season it goes to a weird guy dressed in a striped outfit with glasses, curly hair and shower cap.

He popped out from behind a wall in the upper part of the Frightmare Asylum and crazily asked me, “Will you be my shower buddy?”

An honorable mention goes to a decaying human roaming around the Den of Darkness and declaring that “Uncle Lester wants to party.”

Also new this year are three escape rooms. For an extra charge, up to four visitors can enter the areas ($5 per person) and have 5 minutes to solve a puzzle or suffer the consequences themed to an active serial killer caging a player, a prison lockdown and stealing a valuable piece of art.

And, finally, for those of unsound mind, the Extreme Blackout is on for Nov. 9 ($45 with advance purchase). It literally dares guests to walk through the attractions in the dark as they encounter even more aggressive ghouls. The Schopfs caution that these are serious heart-stopping moments and even require a release waiver signed to participate.

IF YOU DARE GO

What: Field of Screams
Where: 191 College Ave., Mountville, PA 17554
Fear factor (out of 5): 4.5 for adults; children younger than 12 need to stay away.
Hours: Open weekends through Nov. 9 — Friday, Saturday and Sunday; also, open Oct. 31 and Nov. 11 from 6 p.m. until the last person is through attractions.
Price range: $16 to $20 for individual attractions to $35 for a “Scream Pass” accessing all four attractions (look online for price variations and daily deal sites to find less wallet-bleeding pricing). Add $10 to $25 more per person (depending on the weekend) to avoid the lines with a VIP upgrade. Cash is only accepted at the event with an ATM on site.  
Website:  https://www.fieldofscreams.com