Abandon yourself to Halloween horrors

Halloween junkies, get ready for a heart-pounding thrill ride that jacks up the hair on your neck.

Screamfest ’11 returns to Northlands this weekend and next with a hells’ gate of haunted houses, gruesome games, creepy mazes, and out and out weird guest entertainers. Those choosing to brave this event will find creaking doors swinging open Oct. 21 to 23 and Oct. 27 to 31.

“There’s always something happening at Halloween. But there’s nothing like this – the whole package wrapped up in a carnival – games, rides, freak shows, haunted houses and two live bands,” says founder and co-owner Mike Sheppard.

Virtually every attraction is new this year. However, last year’s most popular event, the eerie St. Anne’s Hospital, reappears. The 3,000-square-foot gore-filled walls are assembled on site into a maze of shivery music, dark lights and actors that jump out at you.

“It creeps people to walk through the maternity ward and see a baby devil burst through a belly,” Sheppard says in describing the event’s popularity.

Fright fever blazes throughout the other four new haunted houses, too. They include:

Area 51: Alien Apocalypse where an army base collapses under an alien onslaught;

What Lurks in The Dark, a pitch-black sensory block;

Reapers and Grimm Funeral Home sees visiting guests become customers; and

Scarytales 3D, an armageddon of fairytales gone wrong.

As part of a new trend in Halloween fear, Sheppard is introducing The Screamer, a spinning gyroscope that stretches out tired muscles for a racking good time.

Back by popular demand is The Enigma, a man tattooed by over 250 artists. As the ultimate freak show, he has appeared worldwide at festivals, concerts and on television with Jay Leno, Penn and Teller, and Lollapalooza.

“The Enigma is tattooed in puzzle pieces. Even the whites of his eyes are tattooed. He has horns implanted in his head and his ears are cut into pieces and he has scarring on his face. But he’s a big attraction.”

His shock jock partner is Serena Rose, a mysterious, daredevil assistant.

“She does this thing with an apple in her mouth and cuts into it with a powered chainsaw while she’s blindfolded.”

Ryan Stock of Discovery Channel’s hit show Guinea Pigs also likes to push the body with extreme sensations.

“He does an act where he balances a lawnmower on his chin and lets the audience throw vegetables at it.

And his cohort, Amber Lynn, a body-warping contortionist, has the bizarre ability to bend her ankles sideways among other things.

Switch up the fun with discomforting games such as Skull Smash and Lose an Eye. In addition, The Ghetto and Nightmare City are labyrinths of fear that at $3 per try will raise money for the Kidney Foundation of Canada.

This year Screamfest also features two Calgary bands: Random Task Collective, a nerdy rock funk group and hip-hop affiliate Dragonfli Empire. Adding a club touch is DJ Fester.

Last year’s attendance nearly reached 15,000 visitors, primarily on the last weekend. To bump up attendance in the first weekend, organizers are offering visitors the chance to win a $5,000 draw.

The deranged madness runs 7 p.m. to midnight. For more information visit www.screamfest.ca.