Its October and you know what that means! It's time for the best time of the year. Halloween is just around the corner and fall activities are in full swing!

My favorite activity? Haunted Houses! I had the chance to visit a few. Here are my thoughts on a few Haunted Houses around Muncie, Indiana!

*Attractions may have changed since my visit*

1. Stillwell Manor

Stillwell Manor joins the haunt action for its eighth year running. I went out on a not so busy night to see what it was all about. And let me tell you this: I do not scare. So for those of you who do, I will warn you the scare factor. I will bring you into the world, of Stillwell Manor

Stillwell Manor has a fabulous story. It is the home of three attractions. The first being Stillwell Manor. It is home to general Stillwell who came home from war to a slaughtered family. It is said the halls are haunted with the ghosts of the men and women he killed during the civil war- as well as himself. The next, Isabella’s Beyond. In Isabella’s Beyond, we meet Isabella. A fortune teller who is the great granddaughter of General Stillwell. Here, we see her traveling show.. of freaks.

Lastly, we finish in Tantibus. Tantibus will show you your worst nightmares- being that it is a nightmare in itself.

Every twist and turn has a new nightmare to be seen. In Tantibus, you face every nightmare you have ever had. Tight spaces. Clowns. Dark hallways. Spiders. Doctors. Zombies. You name it. To the faint of heart, this may scare you. You can get lost, you can take the wrong turn, or end up in a box you can’t get out of. Each actor was fabulous. My favorite characters were Cuddles, who is perhaps the best pet I have seen at any haunted house. And second, Giggles the clown. So interactive, and so hilarious. Unless you are afraid of clowns of course!

The makeup and the masks are the most beautiful things I have ever seen. They were the most unique art pieces in themselves. The rooms in the remodeled theater change 15-20% every year. And on busy nights, there are actors to interact with the customers as they wait. The haunt took me around an hour and a half to an hour and forty-five minutes to complete. Well worth the time.

Post my adventure into the wonderful world of Stillwell, I met with one of the men behind the haunt, Darrell Smith. He explained that the ideas behind the haunt rooms were ideas that had been come up with not just by him, but also by others. A team of four comes up with these things. Isabelle’s Beyond itself was a dream that Smith came up with.

“We want everyone laughing about the good time they had.” Darrell Smith told me when I asked what he wanted his customers to get out of the haunt. And I can tell you, I got just that. I do not rate with a scale, but rather my experience.

As I went through, I was in awe by the work. And at times, a bit uncomfortable. In these places, I imagine many would be afraid- as the group I was with was. The price is good and it is very obvious the dedication put into this place. For those who enjoy a good time, and a good haunt, go out to Stillwell Manor. It is not too scary- it is just right.

Stillwell Manor is in Anderson located at 1704 E 60th St, Anderson, IN 46013.

2. Scarevania

2016 marked the ten year Anniversary for Scarevania! Again I place the disclaimer: I do not get scared. For those who do, this could be the place for you.

Scarevania was a cute, interesting haunt here in Muncie. The haunt featured both an indoors and outdoors attraction that is connected. Inside this year, you get to meet Jingles, a fabulous terrifying clown that will scare the boots off of any person who fears clowns.

After, you enter rooms with people who invade your space and get up in a second of nothing. My favorite was the satanic room. The actors moved in such a creepy way- I loved it. The best effect was the suicide room. You walk in thinking that there is just a weird laughing guy. When he asks if you “wanna see something cool”, you think he's going to pull out a body part. Instead, it is something entirely different.

Once outside, it gets even more exciting. There are little lights, and the trail is rocky and confusing. It is dark, and easy to get lost. But that is the excitement! There are many places for monsters to hide. And let me tell you – they do. The monsters come out from hiding as you walk by. They come out with knives and chainsaws wanting to play games with you. And the end, well – as much as it is to be expected, it is unexpected and exciting. The excitement never ends.

The actors had fabulous masks and makeup, just inside alone. Every room was creative, and shared a new twist. The rooms truly are insanely beautiful. And with this tight-knit family of monsters, you can sense how good they are together. The acts demonstrate how well they complement each other. They have created families and helped them find the best environment for its volunteers. They truly blend to make a creative creepy scene for all ages. Though, the Blair family recommends children who can handle it, around ages 9 or 10.

On many nights you can also find a fortune teller, who will read your fortunes – true fortunes with real tarot cards. There is also food and drinks available to purchase. Don’t forget the entertainment with a clown doing karaoke – and yes, you can join. Sometimes even acts or flamethrowers. Don’t worry about safety! They have the same officer they have had for years every single night!

“You can come through every year, and it is never the same,” Mellissa Blair, one of the owners, stated. There is no theme. There has never been a theme. It seems to be a group of extensive creative ideas thrown into one attraction! It’s truly effective! Even if you don’t get scared, you can have a place to go and be entertained on an October night in Muncie! Definitely the place to go.

3. Nightmare on Edgewood

If you are looking for the most intense haunt in Indiana, and to live in your favorite Horror movies, then Nightmare on Edgewood is the place for you. This interactive, hands on haunt will leave you wanting more and enjoying every second of your visit with the monsters. Again: I do not get scared. And while this stands true, this was still an intimidating haunt.

Full disclosure, I challenged the actors upon entering. I wanted to be scared. They all knew of my appearance and who I was so that they all could live up to the challenge. This is definitely not an exhibit for the faint of heart. If you do not enjoy being scared – do not come here. Also, if you do not enjoy being touched by the actors, I would not go either. You will be touched.

For the main attractions, we start with the Abandoned hospital. It was an intense and well crafted. I much enjoyed being a part of the bigger puzzle and the way the actors interacted with me. It really was an effective way to put someone out of their comfort zone. Next, the carnival. Not only was it beautiful, but the clowns were very good at their job.

For those afraid of clowns, you will definitely have a difficulty making it through. Lastly, The house. The house, like the rest, features more like the horror movie from my childhood. This was my favorite part of the haunt. I mentioned before that they were told to scare me. Well, I was pushed into walls with a machete at my throat. I was thrown onto a bed with a girl chanting Nightmare nursery rhymes at me. I loved every minute of it.

Also added to this are the separate upcharge options of escape rooms and The Last Ride. The Last ride is an experience in which you take the last ride- six feet under. It is a thrill. Escape room is an intense, exciting attraction. The escape is not easily found.

season with the current management team. Two members of the team Danielle Look and Kevin Cook have prior experience before being a part of this team. Danielle used to be a reviewer, and Kevin, an actor for the haunt years ago. It’s a nightmare family that has grown up and grown to run this establishment. The relationship is seen the way the actors interact with each other.

Even If you have been to the haunt once, I suggest going again. Since the haunt is redesigned every year, there is always something new to witness and experience. “We always tell people we want them to come out screaming, crying, or laughing. Either scared, terrified, or having fun.” Kevin Cook stated. I can tell you, I came out laughing. But the number of individuals screaming or crying- I could not keep track.

4. Piney Acres

When I looked Piney Acres haunted loft online, I was thrilled to enter the world and see the experiments the doctor had in store. I visited two of the three attractions, Haunted Loft, Haunted Trail, and the Haunted Hayride. I only visited the loft and trail. Even though I do not scare, I usually am thrilled by some piece of the attractions. However, with Piney Acres, the story on the website, was much more exciting to me than the attractions themselves.

I admit disappointment. I entered the loft with high hopes and expectations of what the website described. The most interesting part was the creative use of moving parts. This was a nice touch most haunted attractions do not have. This was a good touch. However, the actors that simply screamed in my ears and yelled at me, could have used some improvement. The environments were perfect for a much more exciting scare.

Outside, I was presented with a long wait to the trail. This was much to be expected at a haunted attraction and made me excited for what was to come. The loud noises and screams from inside the field made it seem very exciting.

Upon entering the field, I was immediately presented with a skit. These interactive environments continued throughout the trail. They were very creative and had I been with a better group, perhaps it would have been more amusing. However, they were not fearful or creepy in any way. They were creative in ways not meant or a haunted environment.

Piney Acres has day events with a pumpkin patch in the fall and a Christmas tree farm for winter. The area is perhaps not the best known for a haunted attraction, and maybe the staff is just testing the waters on the idea of a night event. There is no fear factor, but perhaps a laugh. Or maybe join them during the day at one of those events.

5. Indy Scream Park

In my years as a person who has gone to haunted houses her entire life, I have not once been scared. I enjoyed them, but not once did I actually scream or cry or jump more than being taken aback by a noise in my ear. However, on October 8^, 2016, I was defeated.

Indy Scream Park is also high up on the list of most intense haunts in the US. Seven years. There are several attractions this year, two of which are optionally interactive. In each attraction, there is certainly something to scare everyone.

The attractions included Rage 3D, Brickmore Asylum, Backwoods, Pandemic, Zombieland Apocalypse, and Monster Midway. Monster Midway is not really an attraction, so much as a beautiful large area for games, food, socializing, and shopping. Not only that, but creative monsters come out to play and interact with the costumers. And these monsters come and do this all on their own!

Pandemic and Zombieland Apocalypse were the optional interactive haunts. They remove people from their groups. I promise you will eventually come back. These were very creative. I was pushed into a tiny box with a monster for several minutes. This was terrific. I was grabbed and pulled by zombies itching for a meal. These were so creative and beautiful exhibits. There was no lack of detail in the exhibits. Everything was beautifully crafted and thought of.

Backwoods was also good. I admit that I did scream once. But understanding that I have a fear of tall people and when an 8-foot man jumps in your face, I could not be expected not to be a little scared. There were many interesting things on the trails to see, but it was too dark to see most of the detail. But what could be seen was magnificent. The actors and their scenes were intriguing.

Brickmore Asylum reminded me of a video game I once played. But this was solely in the artwork. Again, the details taken were fantastic. The actors clearly loved their roles and all worked well together. They did not break character and were a fabulous piece of a crazy picture.

Rage 3D. Clearly by the name you can tell that the exhibit is in 3D. The artwork here was the most magnificent I have ever seen. You were 3D glasses in the haunt and I promise, everything jumps out at you. This is where I was defeated. My fears were played against me and I lost it. Whether it is clowns you are afraid of, or movements that make you uncomfortable, you will love this attraction. “We wanted to disrupt as many senses as possible.” There are moving things that cause reactions, and it is hard to tell when things are real and when they aren’t.

I am in awe. The attraction was well designed by Mark Bremer. Who worked hard to create the realistic experience to the haunts. The art takes about a year to create new concepts. The graphics and art come from a man who designed a haunt at the age of 15, and continued to go from there. He has background from construction and Hollywood level audio and video skills and experience. He even worked as a cameraman in Hollywood.

“We kind of want to take people and push their limits. Take you out of your day to day reality” Jon Pinaki, the PR person for Indy Scream Park. Well, Jon, you accomplished what you meant. If you are looking for a thrilling haunt, go out to Anderson and visit the monsters who are waiting.