Dade City’s horror park, Scream-A-Geddon, is back in business. With six haunted houses and a terrifying monster midway, you’re guaranteed to scream a few times. And if that doesn’t scare you enough, it’s located in the middle of the woods.
“We’re not Busch Gardens, we’re not Universal. We don’t pretend to be,” said Geof Kledzik, the general manager of Scream-A-Geddon. “There’s a lot of things that we can do here that those places can’t do.”
The biggest difference between this park and Howl O’ Scream or Halloween Horror Nights, is that at Scream-A-Geddon, they give you the choice to be touched. And not just touched, sometimes they’ll even pull you from your group. You might find yourself inside a body bag, or even inside a jail cell at the “Blackpool Prison” haunted house.
All you have to do is wear a green glow-in-the-dark necklace. If you get too scared, feel free to take off the necklace. They’ll stop grabbing you as soon as you take it off.
For those brave enough to participate in the interactive element of the park, you can do so inside “Blackpool Prison” and “Infected: Ground Zero.”
Just make sure you know what you’re getting into. Those who choose to be daring must be at least 18 years old to participate.
While the other four haunted houses are not interactive, they are still horrifying. One of the houses even takes place in the woods. Before you enter, you and your group will be handed one tiny glow stick that you’ll use through your journey into the woods. Once inside, you’ll be met with hungry cannibals and a chainsaw, or two.
Be careful while you’re walking in the dark. The glow stick helps, but you never know what may be lurking behind you.
For the last three years, Scream-A-Geddon hosted a hayride haunted house. This year, they’ve replaced it with a brand-new attraction – “Zombie Paintball Assault.”
The attraction puts you on a glowing school bus armed with paintball guns.
“We take you into the woods and you get to shoot zombies,” said Kledzik. “Make sure to hit them in the head, otherwise they won’t go down.”
Good thing that AMC’s The Walking Dead has prepared all of us for this moment.
“Zombie Paintball Assault” is a separate ticketed attraction from the rest of the haunts. It costs $10.
Also new this year is “Rage 3D” – a haunted house where you can hear loud dubstep music, see some trippy colors, and walk through a spinning tunnel while running away from killer clowns. Keep your eyes opened, one minute you might be walking through a room with strobe lights and then the next you’re in complete darkness.
If you are unlucky, a clown might come out from the darkness and whisper in your ear.
“There’s something for everybody. Although, it is a big kid’s park,” said Kledzik. “It’s not designed for little children.”
By Yara Zayas
