Hi everyone!
We’re still well into the Halloween spirit here at the University of Iowa as the holiday is just around the corner! I know personally, I’ve finalized my outfits, and I’m praying that the accessories I ordered will make it in the mail just in the nick of time to celebrate!
While I’ve mentioned before how much I love dressing up, something else I love about Halloween besides the candy and costumes are haunted houses, and even though I don’t do them often, I’m always down to go with a group of friends. So, when one of my best friends, Faith, texted our group chat asking if anyone would be interested in doing one this month, I immediately said yes!
For those of you who don’t know, Scream Acres is in Atkins, Iowa (about a 40-minute drive from Iowa City) and it’s one of the best-known haunted house attractions in the entire state. It consists of four haunted houses, and one is outside in a cornfield maze! It’s 40$ per person, but I promise you, it’s totally worth the money!!!
On Friday the 13th (yes, we literally planned to go on that specific date!), seven of my friends and I piled into two cars and made the trek over to Atkins. This specific night was insanely rainy, and I remember feeling like we wouldn’t make it by how fast the rain was coming down. Luckily, my friend, Nich, is an excellent driver and he plowed us through the interstate until we took a right turn off of it.
From there, the last fifteen minutes of the drive really put us in an eerie mood. To get to Scream Acres, we had to drive past miles of cornfields and abandoned farms. There were no lights or life to be seen. It was just our cars and the darkness for what felt like an eternity until, at last, we turned into a cornfield with a handful of massive lights illuminating something in the center. Literally, in the middle of nowhere, Scream Acres stood.
We quickly parked the car, zipped up our raincoats, and made our way inside. Besides having four haunted houses to explore, Scream Acres also had some pop-up places to eat and a marketplace with sweet treats and souvenirs (before we left, I couldn’t help but buy a couple homemade apple cinnamon donuts which were delicious!) We did that to bide the time until our group was called, and when we were called, we were finally able to get in line for the first haunted house.
During the car ride, we theorized who would be the person to lead our group through the haunted house. A couple of my friends made claims it would be me and I agreed, so long as I didn’t go first into the haunted house called Slaughterhouse. Of course, that’s exactly what happened, and I hauled my friend Faith up to the front with me as we ascended the stairs.
Even though the actors aren’t allowed to touch you, that didn’t stop them from getting pretty close! Very early on in Slaughterhouse, Faith and I took off screaming as an actor with a chainsaw came barreling toward us. It was terrifying! Not to mention that the blood and gore inside looked so realistic, and the twists and turns of the house were really easy to get lost in. Luckily, we all made it out in one piece and headed to the next stop.
The next house was called Carnival, and for this house, we got special 3D glasses that made the walls of the house waver and pop as you walked through. This was super cool in theory, but it made the experience ten times scarier when real people would pop out of their hiding places to scare you. Luckily, I didn’t go first for this house, but I am ashamed to say that I was scared out of my mind when a couple holograms (yes, holograms) popped up out of nowhere. For me, that was wayyy scarier than any of the actors!!!
The next house was called Cell Block Z which was zombie-themed. I braved going first again for this one which was a big mistake! The zombie actors chased after you, crawled on their hands and knees, and screamed at you from hidden shadows along the jail cells. It was equally as terrifying as the last two and I went running out of the house absolutely terrified, but still grinning from ear to ear.
Because of the rain, the park ended up closing the cornfield (I was sooo disappointed since this was the one I was most excited about!), so instead, we got to go inside another one of the houses we had already gone through. My friends and I decided to go through Slaughterhouse again which was just as scary as the first time, especially because at the very end, a massive guy with a machete came out of nowhere to chase me and my friends. Just the sound of the blade scraping against the ground was enough to send us running!
Overall, though, it was a fitting end to a great night!
Tired, wet, and thirsty, we got some hot cocoa, warmed up inside, and bought some homemade food at the marketplace before going back to our cars. I was exhausted, soaking wet, and mud-slicked, but I hadn’t had so much fun in a long time. I remember turning to my friend, Faith, and telling her that we have to do this again next year which seriously cannot come fast enough!
For those of you who want to do something fun this holiday season with your friends, I would definitely recommend heading over to Scream Acres for a night. It’s scary, fast-paced, and an overall blast, and I hope that you have just as much fun as I did if you decide to make the trip out there!
Good luck and Happy Halloween!!!
