October Haunts
By Nick Leonetti
With autumn in full swing, this South Jersey boy is already growing excited about what ubiquitously comes with the dimmer months of the year. The summer is fine: I don’t mind the heat at all, and it’s nice having longer days and shorter nights. Even so, there’s something about being able to watch the leaves being drained of their chlorophyll, the way the chilly air pleasantly burns your lungs during a twilight-lit stroll, and the eagerness of coffee shops to inject pumpkin spice into anything they can think of that eclipses anything summertime has to offer for me.
As we steadily move closer to the end of October, some more unhallowed attractions make their way to the forefront. When I was younger, there were just three haunts in the area: Whippoorwill Campground’s haunted hayride, Birch Grove Park’s haunted hay ride in Northfield, and the infamous Brigantine Castle haunted walk. I do remember for a few years a man who used to convert his home into a haunted walk on Maryland Avenue in Somers Point. My mom always played a witch, my dad occasionally was Frankenstein’s monster, and I was even a mummy one year. All of these attractions would be considered light fare compared to today’s standards, but they stick in my mind as being wonderfully terrifying.
Nowadays, it is all about extreme, in-your-face terror: if a group of teens do not leave your attraction with expressions of dread perpetually strewn across their faces, you failed. Creamy Acre’s Night of Terror up in Mullica Hill is no exception. You are literally let off in the middle of a cornfield maze and have to find your way back, all the while being chased by masked maniacs with chainsaws set to full tilt boogie. This is a far cry from sticking your hand in a bowl of peeled grapes and being told they are eyeballs. Other haunts like the now-defunct Fear Factory behind the Hamilton Mall, and Eastern State Penitentiary in Philly follow the same recipe as Creamy Acres: scare the crap out of everyone by any means necessary.
But then there’s Terror in the Junkyard out in Scullville in Egg Harbor Township. I consider this one a cool medium. Simply put, it’s for everyone. It’s a volunteer run endeavor made by the Scullville Volunteer Fire Company. Now I’ve heard mixed reviews about Terror in the Junkyard, but here’s why I like it so much. This is run by people who are not making any profit off of it (I believe all the money goes to a charity); rather, they are doing it because they love it. They have carnival food, corny Halloween-themed music and Young Frankenstein playing on a loop as you wait in line. The junkyard utilizes discarded items that have been rotting over the years, giving it even more eerie and realistic appeal. Everyone is friendly; everyone is fully immersed in their roles.
I’m not sure how many of these haunts I’ll be able to hit before the end of the month. But I do believe I’ll be able to make it out to Scullville for a funnel cake, a hayride, and perhaps some good scares. I hope to see you boils and ghouls there, as well.
