American Nightmare Scream Park to offer scares like no other haunt

   

SPRING GROVE — Jason Wright has spent 31 years honing his fright-framing skills, building and staffing scream-soliciting Halloween haunts across the country.

This, however, is the first year the Grayslake resident is taking what he knows and dropping it into a cornfield. The results, he predicts, will be delightfully excruciating for anyone who loves a good scare. Be warned, however, the American Nightmare Scream Park is neither for the very young nor the faint of heart.

Currently under construction within towering rows of corn adjacent to the Richardson Adventure Farm, the one-of-a-kind haunt is scheduled to open Thursday, Oct. 2, and to remain open Thursdays through Sundays until closing night Saturday, Nov. 1.

“We will have five different, themed, haunted attractions within the corn maze itself, plus a midway offering live entertainment, food trucks, four axe-throwing lanes, two bars and more,” said Wright, noting that his haunted maze is separate and apart from the nearby, family-friendly Richardson “World’s Largest” Corn Maze.

Both attractions are located on Richardson Farm property and will share an entrance at 909 English Prairie Road. Once on the property, though, admission to each is separate. And parking for the American Nightmare Scream Park will be near where the Richardson Tulip Fields are located in the spring. Signs will be posted to direct motorists.

“We’re really excited about this,” Wright said. “I’ve always dreamed of having an outdoor scream park.”

Wright and his 24-year-old son, Tristan, have spent months hiring scare actors and constructing their haunted scream park’s trademark dilapidated facades that exude abandoned-building vibes.

They’ve even reached out to horror film talent agents they know to discuss possible celebrity appearances. So far, booked are horror-film duo Zack Andrews and Bobby Roe, who, among other things, co-wrote and starred in the 2014 film “The Houses October Built,” which Roe also directed. They will be available for pictures and autographs from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, at the American Nightmare Scream Park midway.  

The scream park build has proven quite the learning curve, the Wrights said, noting their previous haunts were all indoors. Contending with withering heat, blazing sun, soaking rains and biting bugs is all new.

“It’s going to be interesting,” the elder Wright said as he showed off progress to date in mid-August, stopping near a wall to show how quickly a darkening agent used to create a rustic look on wooden boards had blanched in the sun. During a second walk-through in early September, he showed some strain after having spent dozens of 18-hour days hammering nails and directing crews against the constant whisper of the towering stalks.

“A lot of things we are learning at a very fast pace,” he said. “But we’ve been able to implement everything we know. I think the attraction is going to be a huge success. There are a lot of fall festivals, but to incorporate a midway full of entertainment along with a corn maze with five different themed, haunted attractions is off-the-charts rare.”

Also rare is the high-tech imagery planned for the haunted trail entryway. The Wrights will use projection mapping to transform a blank, barn-shaped façade into a vivid, colorful display similar to the sort of undulating imagery seen on Las Vegas’ Sphere.

Different stops along the haunted trail will include Camp Blood, Circus of Insanity 3D, Nightmare 31, Bloody Acres Estates and Death Rows. The Wrights said it likely will take participants about 30 minutes to walk the entire blood-curdling trail and wind their way through the different structures along the way, each of which will feature multiple rooms.

The crew members the Wrights hire don’t hold back on the chills, they cautioned.

“The way society is right now, everyone feels like we are living in a twisted nightmare, no matter what side of the aisle you’re on,” Jason Wright said, noting he would not recommend the American Nightmare Scream Park for anyone under the age of 13. “You have to step it up to scare people anymore.

“We’re a high-energy, intense haunted attraction,” he continued. “We’re immersed in the corn. Everything is hidden and jumping out at you from the corn.”

Tristan Wright said the ability to partner with the Richardsons is a dream come true.

“I feel like this location couldn’t be any better,” Tristan Wright said. “It will be one of a kind.”

Tickets start at $40 for general admission. A fast pass is $55 and VIP Experience tickets are $75. Find tickets and other details at scareamerica.net.