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As Halloween approaches, the world takes on a ghostly glow.
Pumpkins turn into jack-o-lanterns and empty storefronts transform into Spirit Halloween shops.
What: Screams in the Dark Haunted Attractions
When: Friday and Saturday 7:30-11:30 p.m., Sunday 7:30-10:30 p.m.
Where: 5548 M-66, Kalkaska, MI 49646
And in Kalkaska, acres of fields and dark woods become a sprawling haunted village. It’s called Scream in the Dark and it's the largest haunted attraction in northern Michigan.
At the center of it all is Joe Ritchie, better known by his character name, "the Lunatic." Ritchie has been building haunted houses since childhood — more than 35 years of crafting scares.
Most people, he said, don’t realize how hard the work can be.
“On our sold-out nights, we’re scaring a group every 35 to 40 seconds,” Ritchie said. “You’ve got to be into it.”
For more than a decade, Scream in the Dark operated out of the Northwestern Michigan Fairgrounds. But now, the haunt has a permanent home — 43 acres of eerie Kalkaska woods and detailed set pieces that grow more elaborate each year.
“We can spend the time adding the little touches that … probably 80 percent of our audience never notices,” Ritchie said. “If it wasn't there, they would notice. It's just those little things that your eye catches that keeps you in the immersion of the whole thing.”
Behind the scenes, about 25 performers prepare for the night’s work near the costume trailer. Some are already in costume while others haven’t yet transformed into their demonic clown and witchy personas.
“It’s being able to get out of your own head and become something else,” said Harold Kranick, who portrays the event’s lead character, Hawthorne Blackwood.
A veteran of local theater, Kranick has acted in playhouses across the area and directed numerous productions. He also spent a period performing as Charlie Chaplin during Traverse City’s Film Festival.
Meanwhile, Wayne Strang, wearing a small top hat like the Mad Hatter showed IPR the entrance to the haunted attraction.
“Have you ever scared somebody? You [have] fun doing it,” Strang asked. “Now imagine doing that a thousand times a night — and it’s legal.”
He gestures toward the entrance of Blackwood Manor, the heart of the haunted village. For those who can’t make it through, there’s no shame — visitors can leave with a “chicken” button. For others, there are… let’s say, less flattering pins for those who get too scared.
Screams in the Dark is open Fridays through Sundays, through Nov. 2.
