SCARE TACTICS — The Wells Township Haunted House in Brilliant is a favorite spot this time of the year. -- Mark Law

BRILLIANT — With Halloween fast approaching, it’s normal to want to feel that fright and chill that come with the season.

The best way to do it? Go to a haunted house or field.

A No. 1 regional attraction

The Wells Township Haunted House in Brilliant is arguably the region’s No. 1 spooky attraction. According to Director Sean Norman, this old-style attraction has more than 10,000-square feet of scares and excitement. The outside atmosphere is one the most unique in the industry, featuring old favorite characters and live bands on the outdoor stage. The 170-plus-year-old building boasts its own haunted history, making it the desired destination of multiple paranormal investigators, Norman says on his website. The Wells Township Haunted House is known all over the country for its live action and group interaction.

“Get ready to experience the most unique, most intense, most insane, high-energy, high-octane, live action haunted attraction you have ever seen,” Norman said about this destination.

Wells Township Haunted House is open Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 3. Norman said this is not a self-guided walk-through attraction. The guided tour will take you through the depths of the historic building, where you will see scenes and scares develop into some of the most unique setups visitors can imagine.

“Come see why the Wells Township Haunted House has been voted the No. 1 haunted attraction in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana,” Norman said.”

Looking for a Dark View

Toronto will be host to the Dark View haunted attraction every Friday and Saturday through the end of the month. The nightly scares can be found at 2257 county Road 68, Toronto, with the box office opening at 6 p.m. and the attractions running from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Regular admission is $18, and VIP admission, which allows the purchasers to skip all lines, is $25. This includes a trip to the Kale and Komar Circus, a once popular family attraction that has taken a very dark turn; the Dark View Cemetery, a “cemetery with a long and dark history”; the Dark View, a “once beautiful park with a very ugly past” and possible man-eating monster; and the Maze Escape, where visitors are chased through a twisting maze while trying to escape zombies.

For an additional cost, the attraction is offering two escape rooms — $7 will allow visitors to take part in the caging down and $5 will allow them to try to escape a coffin before being buried alive.

For those looking for a little less scare with their haunted attraction this year, the Dark View is offering daylight hours on select Saturdays. Contact them at info@darkviewhaunt.com or (740) 537-0235 for information.

A new venue

Fear Field is a one-of-a-kind haunted attraction that is open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday throughout the month.

According to Fear Field Director Paul Jefferies, this attraction is unlike a haunted house environment. Fear Field takes place outdoors, leading patrons through the woods on trails, adding to the terror, where they stumble upon various theatrical scenes that are certainly not designed for the faint of heart.

“So you and your friends want to take a walk in the woods at night and you all stumble upon various shanties in the woods. It’s starting to sound like the beginning of a horror story,” Jefferies said, “But that’s what it is — Fear Field feels like you are in a horror movie.”

Jefferies says because of the outdoor environment Fear Field takes place in, a certain eeriness of the unknown combined with the anticipation of the awaiting scares is designed to put patrons on edge from the moment they purchase their tickets. That sense lasts until the end of the tour, given that they escape. He added that Fear Field is not intended for children age 14 or younger and that the event is interactive.

“You are part of the show,” he said.

Fear Field is located in Crescent, just a few minutes from Ohio Valley Mall outside St. Clairsville.

For those who are too afraid to brave the terrors of Fear Field, organizers are seeking volunteer staff members to join them in their haunt. For information on how to become a Fear Field volunteer or to ask questions about admission, visit the Facebook page Fear Field Haunt.

Scares behind bars

Across the Ohio River in Moundsville is another historic venue with an eerie past. The former West Virginia Penitentiary is a year-round destination for paranormal investigators and those interested in things macabre. During the Halloween season each year, the facility offers its Dungeon of Horrors haunted attraction. According the penitentiary website, more than 10,000 people attend annually.

Visitors can experience the horror of being locked in a cell and making their way through a frightening maze, where staff members are on hand to startle or guide visitors, as the situation dictates. General admission begins at 9 p.m., but an express entry option is available. Tickets are available online for tours offered Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-28 and Oct. 31. Visit wvpentours for tickets or information.