Shrieks, high-pitched and soul-piercing, erupted from the darkness beyond the wooden gates, sending a blood-curdling chill through the air.
“Dude, I’m already freaked out,” senior Jacob Crosby said as he walked toward the entrance, where he heard the anguished cries of those who were brave enough to enter the ominous gates of Field of Screams.
“The smell of gasoline from roaring chainsaws mixed with bales of hay was overwhelming as I waited to get in,” Crosby said.
Beyond the gates lies the abandoned farm turned nightmare factory. The four intense haunted attractions — Den of Darkness, Frightmare Asylum, Nocturnal Wasteland, and the Haunted Hayride — stood as dilapidated structures with dark facades illuminated by an eerie, flickering glow. This 35-acre haunted attraction in Mountville, Pennsylvania has been terrifying thrill seekers for over 20 years.
On Oct. 27, Stevenson University students had the opportunity to experience the fear firsthand.
“We had 39 tickets available to students and within three days, we were sold out,” said Lucine Kamara, Mustang Activities & Programming (MAP) marketing chair. Stevenson students had been fortunate to receive discounted tickets to this nightmarish place on one of its busiest nights.
“MAP for the last couple of years has done the Field of Screams trips and the students are always really excited about it, so we’ve kept it as an annual event,” Kamara said.
The students found themselves being stalked through nightmarish cornfields and abandoned halls, where convincingly grotesque actors could jump out at any second. Each step through the attractions sent chills up their spines.
“A terrifying clown snuck up behind me and grabbed the clip out of my hair during the Haunted Hayride,” said junior Libby Kearns. “At that point, I was the most scared I had been all night,” said Kearns.
Field of Screams employs 200-300 workers each season who have gone through specialized “scare school” training to learn how to maximize terror as zombies, monsters, and other creepy characters. “Our actors are incredible,” said Jim Schopf, co-owner of Field of Screams. “They pride themselves in their craft of being able to scare people.”
Between the actors, disturbing set pieces filled with blood and gore, and surprising mechanical stunts, Field of Screams will keep raising the bar to unsettle even the bravest repeat customers.
Being scared was not the only offering as Field of Screams provides a complete entertainment experience. Alongside the terrifying attractions, they offered escape rooms, games, live music, and food concessions, creating a carnival of fear that left everyone both thrilled and terrified.
By the end of the long night of being preyed on through butcher chambers and an abandoned insane asylum, bonds between students seemed to be strengthened, even if nerves were frayed. For this group, facing fears side-by-side has become a much-anticipated annual tradition.
