Getting a good scare is fitting as we inch closer to Halloween, but the frights unfortunately are coming in a different form this year, forcing businesses and attractions to get creative this fall.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists going into an indoor haunted house as “high risk” when it comes to spreading the coronavirus, and that’s why some are bringing their terrifying experiences outdoors.
In Chicago's suburbs, Terror in the Timbers in Elgin is bringing a drive-thru haunted experience to the Halloween landscape.
“The safety of our workers and of patrons is the most important thing. This is what we’ve come up with,” said Dan Barrie, partner at BMC productions, who helped create the attraction.
Organizers explain that when you pull in, you'll roll up your windows, only drive 3 miles per hour, turn off your headlights and put your vehicle in park when you come up to a new scene.
Actors will not step in front of your vehicle, according to Barrie.
“There’s a green light to enter and a red light to stop when you enter the vignette and be ready,” Barrie added. “It’s going to be terrifying, it’s going to be scary, but you’re as safe as you are in your own garage.”
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The story will take people on a ride through the life of H.H. Holmes, the serial killer who wreaked havoc during the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. His story was captured in the Erik Larsson book "Devil in the White City," and the attraction features scenes that may be familiar to those who read the book.
You can ride through nearly a mile worth of terrifying scene, and all from the safety of your vehicle.
Terror in the Timbers opens on Friday, October 2nd.
