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Halloween attractions up the scare factor

By WTOP Staff

BETH J. HARPAZ
AP Travel Editor

NEW YORK (AP) — Halloween seems to be getting scarier, with attractions going ever-more interactive and in-your-face.

At Knott’s Scary Farm in Buena Park, California, guests are outfitted with neon-green laser guns and ordered to shoot actors portraying zombies by aiming at their heads. At the Dent Schoolhouse in Cincinnati, a butcher appears to demonstrate how to slaughter a pig. And at The Basement, part of the ScareHouse near Pittsburgh, hoods are placed over visitors’ faces.

“We put a hood over the customer and it’s remarkable how much a difference that makes,” said Scott Simmons, ScareHouse creative director. “You’re taking away sight, a core thing, and it’s such a nerve-racking experience. You see these terrible, horrifying demons and clowns, and they put a hood on you, and you don’t know what’s going to happen next. You feel terrible things touching you and whispering in your ear. But as extreme as it is, it’s still fun. People come out shaking, but they’re smiling.”

Visitors to The Basement sign a waiver and must be 18, and are given a “safe word” that they can say to stop activities if it’s too much.

But why have Halloween attractions become so intense?

“After 20 years of haunted houses with people stepping out and saying ‘boo,’ these days if you’re really trying to scare people you’ve got to be edgy and out of their comfort zone,” said Simmons. “What scared people in the ’70s and the ’80s isn’t what’s going to scare them now.”

“There’s no doubt Halloween attractions are getting scarier and more extreme,” said Larry Kirchner of HauntWorld.com, a website devoted to haunted attractions. With high-tech special effects, including video, animation and Hollywood-quality sets, “they are more sophisticated. They have gone to another level.”

When done well, Kirchner says, a great haunted house is “100 times better than a Broadway show because it’s interactive entertainment that puts you right in the middle of the action and makes you the star.” But Kirchner thinks some attractions cross a line into poor taste — he’s not a fan of story lines based on real serial killers for example, or activities where participants are humiliated in some way.

Here are a few Halloween events and attractions taking place around the country this season — most of them offering experiences way less intense than being hooded. Expect long lines and check schedules. Some events are weekends only, some run through early November, some sell out.

UNIVERSAL HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS

The horror film “The Purge: Anarchy,” which is the sequel to a movie about an annual night of unfettered crime and violence, is just one of the inspirations for Halloween Horror Nights at Universal theme parks in Orlando, Florida, and in Los Angeles. The events feature hundreds of elaborately costumed actors and Hollywood-quality sets, special effects and mazes inspired by pop culture influences ranging from El Rey Network’s “From Dusk Till Dawn,” to AMC’s “The Walking Dead.”

HAUNTWORLD’S TOP 13

Pennhurst Asylum, in Spring City, Pennsylvania, got the No. 1 slot on HauntWorld.com’s top 13 haunted attractions, while Dent Schoolhouse took seventh. Also on the list: 13th Gate, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Netherworld, Atlanta; House of Torment, Austin, Texas; The Darkness, St. Louis; Erebus, Pontiac, Michigan; Kersey Valley Spookywoods, Greensboro, North Carolina; Headless Horseman, Ulster Park, New York; Cutting Edge Haunted House, Fort Worth, Texas; Bates Motel, Philadelphia; Bennett’s Curse, Baltimore; and 13th floor, Chicago.

ATTRACTIONS BY REGION

New York City’s annual Village Halloween Parade kicks off Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. with thousands of participants in costume and hundreds of enormous puppets.

Pennsylvania offers Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia and Shocktoberfest in Reading. In the Northeast, there’s Nightmare New England in Litchfield, New Hampshire, while Salem, Massachusetts, hosts parades, ghost tours, performances and more in the town where real witch trials took place in the 1600s.

In the Midwest, check out Wisconsin FearGrounds in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and Fear Fest, Flint, Michigan.

In Florida, Tampa’s Busch Gardens offers Howl-O-Scream. New Orleans, has The House of Shock; Houston has the Terror Dome.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY

By night, attractions at Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell, Georgia, include ZX-1, a haunted zone where a “deadly infection” is “wiping out mankind” (as if real-world Ebola isn’t scary enough). But by day the park offers family activities like a corn maze, harvest festival, pumpkin painting and spooky stories, with children 12 and under invited to dress up for a costume contest.

Elsewhere for kids, SeaWorld San Diego has a Halloween-themed sea lion and otter show called “Clyde & Seamore’s Spooky Adventure.” And of course, Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Florida offers Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and trick-or-treating.

___

AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang contributed to this report from California.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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