Halloween isn’t my favorite holiday of the year. I prefer the family dinners, carols and cheer that accompany holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I don’t, however, enjoy many Halloween rituals, which include watching horror films or being chased through a haunted house by someone dressed up like the infamous serial killer Freddy Krueger from “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”
Several years ago, I, along with friends, worked up the courage to attend Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The annual Halloween event features nine haunted houses, five scare zones—where people dress up in creepy costumes and scare frightened guests—and two live shows.
Each haunted house utilizes state-of-the-art special effects to make guests feel as though they’ve jumped into a horror movie like “A Nightmare on Elm Street” or “Insidious.” The experience was traumatizing to say the least, especially since I’m someone who doesn’t find any scary situation humorous.
However, I am proud of myself for surviving the ordeal and living to tell the story, even though, at the time, I didn’t think Freddy Krueger was going to let me escape the house alive.
Even though I know it’s fake and all in good fun, my overactive imagination leads me to believe it’s real, which activates my fight-or-flight response.
In Pearl River County, families can get into the Halloween spirit by visiting the Henleyfield Haunted Barn and Hayride located at 206 George Wise Road in Carriere.
I’m not totally against partaking in Halloween festivities.
I’m certain that since the barn is family-friendly, it can’t be too scary.
Halloween does have its upsides. It’s a time when people can consume bags of candy without feeling guilty and dress up in ridiculous costumes.
Even so, I’m eagerly anticipating the end of Halloween and the beginning of much more happier holidays.