Walking through Phantom Fall Fest at Lake Compounce has meant enduring a haunted swamp, a monster-filled mansion and a disturbingly dark version of Wonderland, but this year’s attraction adds perhaps the creepiest element yet: Visitors show up for a sleep study that’s gone horrifyingly wrong.
“This year’s Phantom Fall Fest unleashes more horror than ever before, with the debut of Project Nightmare and a full lineup of terrifying haunts and scare zones,” said Assistant General Manager Megan Major. “We’ve pushed the limits of what a haunt can be.”
The new Project Nightmare horror house is set up as a tour through a sleep study, with the visitor’s worst nightmares coming to life from all sides. The Sleep Keepers Research Facility has gone malevolent, and the tagline “dream ’til you scream” accurately sums it up.
Otherwise happy childhood scenes – stuffed animals, a warm bed with toys, a wall of children’s art – all become dark and deranged, and a cast of more than a dozen and a half scare-actors inside keep the scares coming.
But Madison Burnes-Baker, the park’s entertainment manager, said the designers left a lot of the fear to visitors’ imaginations: Dark rooms with shadowy figures set a steady tone of terror without as many gore and violence scenes as more typical haunted houses.
Lake Compounce’s annual Halloween attraction is actually in two parts. Daylight hours are reserved for youngsters: the kiddie rides and easy-going entertainment are the stars.
For the family-friendly time, there’ll be meet-and-greets with the decidedly unscary Spookley the Square Pumpkin, Halloween-themed foods, trick-or-treating for youngsters in costume, and rides like the children’s coaster, bumper cars and kiddie carousel. Children can decorate pumpkins or Halloween-themed stuff bears, or make “frightship” bracelets, a seasonal variation of friendship bracelets.
“It’s treats without the tricks. But at 6 p.m., it changes,” said Meg Forno, the park’s marketing director.
From 6 until closing, Lake Compounce does a 180, transforming from family-oriented to terror-inducing.
There’ll be teams of costumed “scare-actors” wandering through two zones of the park; visitors who don’t want random frights or interactions with ghouls are cautioned to steer clear of those spots. For those who seek the Halloween adrenaline, the zombie-like Sawmill Slashers will be near the Sky Coaster, while the evil clowns of the Sinister Circus are near Downtime.
In addition to Project Nightmare, the park will have four other full-scale haunted houses: MediEvil, Malice in Wonderland, Bloodcraft and Malignant: Overgrown Evil.
Phantom Fall Fest debuts Sept. 20 and continues on Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 26. It will also operate on the first four Fridays of October.
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