Making of a THRILLER

With Halloween just around the corner, haunted houses and other spooky attractions are popping up all over Southern Indiana. While the ghoulish fun houses might look like they're all smoke and mirrors, there's more to these festive sites than meets the eye.\nBecause haunted houses are so popular, it's important to make sure each one is the best it can be in order to attract the peak number of visitors, said Dee Owens, manager of the Indian Creek Haunted Fire Station and president of the fire board for the Indian Creek Fire Department.\nBut before a haunted attraction can worry about competition, it must first be approved by the state fire marshal, Owens said. The fire marshal must check and approve all safety hazards, stressing the importance of emergency exits, accessible fire extinguishers and well-lit exit signs. After gaining approval, the manger receives a permit, which must be renewed annually, to open the haunted attraction.\n"It really is quite an endeavor," said Owens, whose Haunted Fire Station benefits the Indian Creek Fire Department. \nIn order to be the best of the best, adding new thrills and updating old ghouls is a must, said Cheryl Baker of the Haunted Train in Bloomington. Although she can't give away specific details because she doesn't want to ruin the element of surprise, she admitted that she won't go through the train station because it scares her so much.\n"I know what's going to happen and when it'll happen, but that doesn't seem to help me much," Baker said.\nMany haunted houses come equipped with their own backstory to add extra thrills and chills for visitors, and the Harrodsburg Haunted House is no different. According to the in-depth story on the house's Web site, the Harrodsburg haunt is home to a gruesome history. \nWhat started as an inn turned into a murder scene after an estranged wife allegedly murdered six guests while they slept. After the owners of the inn vanished, a deranged man named Max Gore turned the building into a funeral parlor where he supposedly carried out cruel and grotesque experiments on human subjects.\nToday, the house can be toured by daring guests with an appetite for thrill. \nAlthough some haunts may be too scary for children under 10, Owens said, college students seem to love the haunted attractions. While waiting in line, visitors are welcome to sip on warm apple cider or hot chocolate, but they should be warned that ghouls armed with chain saws are often found wandering the premises. \nWhile the thrills may come cheap, the construction of such sites does not. Most of the Haunted Fire Station's employees are volunteers who are not paid for the time they work. \nElectricity is also a huge expense, Baker said, due to the large number of lights and special effects a haunted house usually incorporates. \nIn order to make a haunt as scary as possible, a great deal of time must be invested year-round, Owens said. Updates for lighting, props and characters take place over the course of an entire year, while construction begins in late August or early September.\nLuckily for college students, thrills aren't hard to afford. Most haunted attractions charge an admission of less than $10. So grab someone to cling onto -- and as a visitor to the Harrodsburg house suggests, a change of underwear -- and go experience the scariest Indiana has to offer.