Scarywood returns with even more haunted fun

Every October, Silverwood Theme Park as we know it ceases to exist.

The shrieks of joy heard round the park are replaced with shrieks of fear. And instead of running to the next ride, visitors are running from zombies and killer clowns.

Now in its ninth year, Scarywood has become an autumn tradition for many horror fanatics in the Inland Northwest.

To put it simply, Silverwood is where amusement park dreams come true, and Scarywood is where nightmares are made.

And that’s the way the folks at Scarywood like it.

This year, Scarywood once again takes over the park, featuring haunted attractions, scare zones and most of Silverwood’s rides, including Krazy Kars, the aptly named Tremors and Panic Plunge and, weather permitting, the Log Flume, being run in the dark. The Timber Terror roller coaster will run backwards.

The Pharaoh’s Curse, between Log Flume and Tremors, is a new addition to Scarywood.

In this walk-through haunt, visitors enter the Valley of the Queens, where ancient evil spirits are ready to curse all who enter because the queens’ riches have been stolen.

“Luckily, if you don’t survive, you will already be in a tomb,” Scarywood teases on its website.

Other walk-through haunts include 3Dementia, which features new 3D scares and illusions, Blood Bayou, Total Darkness and Planet Zombie, an immersive experience that requires visiting zombie hunters to be prepped with video content before they enter the haunt.

Another new addition to Scarywood 2018 features Silverwood’s resident magicians Nick and Amanda Norton performing a horror magic show called “Dillusion: An Eternal Encore.”

Showtimes will be listed on the Theatre of Illusions marquee.

Scarywood 2018 also features a variety of scare zones so visitors can pick their poison: Clown Town, Crime Scene, the Crypts, the Dollhouse, the Scarywood Nest (arachnophobes, beware), Scarecrow Corner and Quarantine Zone.

You don’t need to be on a ride to be spooked though; dozens of performers dressed as creatures and ghouls will be concealed by fog and strategically placed around the park to keep the shrieks coming.

Costumes, masks and face painting are not allowed, and Scarywood is not recommended for children 12 and younger.

The folks at Scarywood recommend visiting earlier in October to avoid crowds. Thursdays are the cheapest night to visit at $26, compared to $33 on Fridays and $40 on Saturdays.

Though if you visit Saturday, you’ll have the rest of the weekend to recover. Or psych yourself back up for another trip.