October 31, 2025: The Haunted Woods

I’ll never forget that walk.

As a teen, a couple of Hollywood special effects pros opened a Haunted Woods near where I grew up.

They promised realistic gore and an over-the-top experience. Beware the faint of heart.

Of course, my friends and I had to go.

The scares exceeded our expectations. This wasn’t some creepy stroll past spooky decorations. No, we’d been dropped straight into Friday the 13th.

Blood splattered everywhere. Dismembered body parts scattered across a winding path inside thick woods. Spooks plunged from trees and hisses came from bushes.

Then we reached the house labyrinth in the middle.

Inside, complete darkness. We felt along the walls to find the exit. At one point, barriers boxed me in from every direction — front, side, above.

As I slid my hands down searching for escape, I found an opening by my feet.

The only way forward required crawling through a tight tunnel in the pitch black. And it seemed to stretch on forever.

I think this is where my claustrophobia formed.

After finally making it out of the maze, chainsaws roared to life behind us and masked men chased our group all the way to the parking lot.

To this day, no other haunted attraction has ever topped that one.

I guess a little terror now and then keeps life interesting.

Happy Halloween!