Summary:

The dark woods of Camp Medill McCormick provided the perfect backdrop for a creepy haunted attraction.  It kind of felt like being in the middle of a horror movie.  At the entrance, each group was handed a flashlight, where they would go on a self-guided tour through the woods.  Along the path, there was a variety of scenes, some more elaborate than others.  The most detailed was the haunted manor, which was one of my favorites.  I also liked the butcher shop, which had intestines hanging from the ceiling and body parts laying around everywhere.  Not too long after entering the scene, the butcher burst out, swinging a meat cleaver to chase the group out of the scene.  In order to continue, everyone had to walk through a freezer, making their way through sides of beef that hung from the ceiling.  Along the path there was a detailed graveyard.  The various tombstones on both sides of the path were bathed in blue light and patrons had to walk through a pair of large wrought iron gates to exit the scene.  The funhouse was interesting, too.  Patrons had to crawl through a large wooden crate, to enter the scene.  Once inside, there was a maze of glowing vertical PVC pipes to squeeze through, as two crazed clowns attacked.  Walking into the nursery, there was a crib in the corner and two creepy-looking girls sitting on the floor.  Just when I thought nothing was going to happen, the girls screamed and chased the group out of the scene.      

All of the actors high-energy performances and were relentless in stalking their victims.  Many of them followed you through the woods, even after you had left the scene.  The actors really seemed to be into their roles and stayed in character the entire time.  Unfortunately this attraction seemed to be a little short-staffed on the night that I attended.  There were a few dead spots (no pun intended) along the trail and a few more actors in the scenes and along the dark paths would have greatly enhanced the experience.    

The Trail of Screams crew did a nice job this year.  The high-energy feel of this event, along with the interesting scenes, made it a lot of fun.  Keep up the good work guys!

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