Behind the screams
Some cause you to cry.
Others draw you back again and again.
And a few amaze with incredible spectacles.
When you think about it, haunted houses are just interactive theater. And like any good Broadway show, a worthwhile haunt demands hours of rehearsal, a hoard of money and a special blend of creative magic.
Organizers at DuPage County's six area haunted houses -- Lombard Jaycees' Theatre of Lost Souls, Wheaton Jaycees' Maison des Morts, Eleventh Hour in Elk Grove Village, Lisle's Haunted Dungeon, Evil Intentions in Bolingbrook and Nightmares Basement of the Dead in Aurora -- all agree that what you see reveals only a fraction of what really goes on.
To keep their zombies credible and their houses looking, um, haunted, organizers require lots of manpower behind the scenes and some very odd shopping lists. So before you head out to see each haunt's nightly curtain call this weekend, check out this by-the-numbers look at what it really takes to terrify.
15
Number of rooms in the 6,000-square-foot haunted house the Palatine Jaycees built in its new location at the Sears Essentials lot at Northwest Highway and Hicks Road in Palatine. It's also the number of years it's been since the Jaycees have been able to host the haunted house in Palatine; last year's haunted house was in Buffalo Grove.
105
Record amount of minutes a visitor spent trying to find a way out of the Chain Reaction maze at Eleventh Hour. The maze is one of four attractions that make up Eleventh Hour. Owner Jim Upchurch said that next year the haunt will add one more attraction: a corn maze.
200
Gallons of fire retardant used on props inside Eleventh Hour. Most haunts mix fire retardant in their paint and spray their wood with it. "Everything we do has to be fire treated," said Eleventh Hour owner Jim Upchurch. Mike Fitzpatrick of Evil Intentions said if haunts aren't fire-safe, municipal officials will shut them down. "They come in and set our burlap and a tarp on fire to see if we're up to snuff," he said. "If anything is not safe, they'll get you."
2
The number of levels you'll find in Streamwood Park Districts "Trail of Terror," where the emphasis is on actor-driven frights instead of technology, keeping the price to a low $5 for kids and $8 for adults.
$6,000
Cost of Eleventh Hour's most expensive prop this year -- a 14-foot animated demon.
8
The number of rooms in the "kid-friendly" haunted house on Gobbert's Pumpkin & Farm Market in South Barrington. "It's dark and creepy, with some animation and other scary scenes," says Sue Murdoch, "but there's no blood and very little gore."
Haunted houses
Eleventh Hour Haunted House
When: 7-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7-10 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday, 7-11 p.m. Halloween and 7-10 p.m. on Nov. 2.
Where: Outside Berthold Nursery and Garden Center, 434 E. Devon Ave., Elk Grove Village
Cost: $17, with a $2 coupon available online
Web: www.eleventhhour.info
Palatine Jaycees Hometown Haunt
When: 6-11 p.m. Friday, 4-11 p.m. Saturday and 4-9 p.m. Sunday; 6-9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and from 6-10 p.m. Halloween. "Light fight" for younger kids 3-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Where: 563 N. Hicks Road, Palatine, in a vacant store in the northeast corner of strip mall
Cost: $10 for adults, $5 for children 3-10, free for children 2 and younger; with a $3 discount for nonperishable food donations
Web: wwwpalatinejaycees.org/hometownhaunt
Streamwood Park District's "Trail of Terror"
When: 6-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; also lights on 2-5 p.m. Saturday
Where: Community Center, 777 Bartlett Road, Streamwood
Cost: $8 and $5 for children 11 years and younger; $4 for "lights on" version
Call: (630) 372-7275 or visit www.streamwoodparkdistrict.org
Goebbert's Pumpkin & Farm Market haunted house
When: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 31
Where: Goebbert's Pumpkin & Farm Market, 40 W. Higgins Road, South Barrington
Cost: $4
Call: (847) 428-6727 or visit www.pumpkinfarms.com