HALLOWEEN
hy do people like to be scared? Why do they line up for horror films and voluntarily go into haunted houses? That’s a question for sociologists and psychologists, but we’ll venture a guess. The experience is completely immersive—taking you away from whatever daily stresses or concerns you might have. It’s an adrenalin rush, not unlike skydiving or bungee jumping. And when done with friends, it’s a bonding ritual, an expression of collective emotion—fear, followed by relief, followed by cathartic laughter.
Of course, here in Baltimore, we have a natural affinity toward the macabre—after all, this is the resting place of Edgar Allan Poe and the birthplace of the Ouija board. And if you haven’t been to a haunted house since you were in the 7th grade, prepare to be shocked. They have gotten remarkably sophisticated— scarier, darker, downright cinematic. In fact, many aren’t houses at all, but haunted forests that you hike through, never knowing what things that go bump in the night might jump out and scare the pants off you. (Thanks, we’re good.)
See all the gory details in Justin Tsucalas’ spine-tingling photo essay below—if you dare.
Opener: Scare actors at
Field of Screams in Mountville, PA.;
Above: You
never know what’s lurking around
the corner at The Nevermore Haunt
in East Baltimore; Below (2): Fueling up the
chainsaws and waiting in line at
Field of Screams Maryland in Olney.
Above (5): A wide variety of
masks for scare actors to
choose from at Field of
Screams in Mountville, PA;
Creepy street scene and
creating a severed neck at the
Nevermore Haunt at the Old
Town Mall in East Baltimore;
The nurse is in and jump
scares await at Field of
Screams Maryland.
Above: Shhhh! Getting some
final makeup touches at The
Nevermore Haunt; Tools of
the trade and sitting patiently
while scary amounts of makeup
are applied at both The
Nevermore Haunt and Field of
Screams in Mountville, PA.
