A round up of Southeast Missouri's haunted fun

Every October haunts spring up around the area, from the outdoor walk throughs to the large indoor variety like the long-running Haunted Hall of Horror. Here we provide a rundown of some of the area's haunted attractions and spooky events, starting with the newest one, Retribution. If you have an attraction not listed here, please email us at calendar@semissourian.com.

Retribution

Cliff and Remington Talley saw a chance to fill a need in Cape Girardeau during the runup to Halloween this year.

While the area has haunted attractions, Cliff Talley said he and Remington Talley, who own Butcher's Hollow Haunts based in Farmington, Mo., didn't really see a large-scale, profesional, privately-run haunted attraction in the area's biggest city. So they expanded their operation -- they run the Butcher's Hollow Haunted Trail at Farmington -- into Cape Girardeau with the new Retribution Haunted Attraction at 211 N. Spring St.

The haunted house is an indoor, 14,000 square feet attraction where a bunch of evil carnies and misfits have taken over a warehouse.

"Young kids won't make it through," Cliff Talley, who is a business teacher in his other life, said of Retribution. He warns parents against taking their younger children. Kids 9 years old and under are free, but Cliff Talley said he recommends only ages 13 and above. Retribution will host a matinee from noon to 3 p.m. Oct. 20 and 27, with light frights geared toward younger children, though. Also on Oct. 20 and 27 dance teams will be on hand to do zombie routines.

Retribution also includes a 1,000 square-foot three-dimensional haunt, where DayGlo paint, blacklights and 3-D glasses combine to bring the frights to life. Local artists Craig Thomas and Christy Moore painted the area.

Coupons for admission discounts are available at a marquee near Barnes and Noble.

Price: $17 (discounts available)

Dates: Thursday to Saturday through Halloween and on Oct. 31, 7 p.m. to midnight

More info: http://butchershollow.com/retribution.html

Show Me Fear

Part of Beggs Family Farm, which bustles every October with harvest time activities for families, the Show Me Fear haunted attraction adds some variety at the farm. The "warning" section of the Show Me Fear website gives you a good idea that this one is probably pretty scary, and apparently even has moving floors.

Price: Three separate attractions -- Phobe's Madness, $15; Phobe's Dead Shed and Phobe's Cursed Fields, $15 for the two combined; or $25 for all three

Dates: Starts at dusk with last ticket sold at 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19-20 and 26-27.

More info: http://www.showmefear.com/

Dark Woods Cemetery

Tony Douglas has a long relationship with Halloween, having built props and worked in haunts for years. So it was natural that a few years ago he and wife Sherry would try their hand at creating their own attraction, and Dark Woods Cemetery was born.

Dark Woods is located about 10 miles north of Marble Hill on Highway 51 in Bollinger County. Tony Douglas said the theme is an old west-style town that was built on a cemetery, with all the scary happenings that follow.

"We try to do stuff that not a lot of other people in this area do," said Tony Douglas. That stuff includes simulated gunfire, a 100-foot zipline the characters use to drop in on patrons and a working gallows where "we hang people every night."

Price: $7 per person, and $5 per person for groups of 10 or more

Dates: Fridays and Saturdays from 7 to 11 p.m. through Halloween.

More info: 573-866-2617

Haunted Downtown Walking Tours

Southeast Missouri State University runs these tours that focus on the history of downtown Cape Girardeau and its historical ghost stories and characters and landmark buildings. Tours are led by Tom Neumeyer and Christy Mershon. Pre-registration is required.

Price: $20 or $30 per couple

Dates: 7 to 8:30 p.m. and 9 to 10:30 p.m., Oct. 11-12, 18-19, 25 and 28

Info: http://www.semo.edu/continuinged/halloweenhorrors.htm

Haunted Hall of Horror

The Haunted Hall of Horror at the Arena Building is one of the area's longest-running and best known haunted houses. The Arena is split into numerous scenes of carnage and the supernatural. The Haunted Hall isn't recommended for young children, but there is a Light Fright Night on Oct. 28 with more light, fewer big scares and more fun for young children.

Price: $7 for adults and children ages 6 years old and up, free for children 5 years old and younger; $3 for ages 2 years old and up on Light Fright Night

Dates: 7 to 11 p.m. Oct. 19-20 and 26-27, 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 25 and 30-31; Light Fright Night, 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 28

More info: https://www.cityofcapegirardeau.org/Parks/Haunted-Hall-of-Horror-2012.aspx

Haunted Train Car, Iron Mountain and Southern Railroad

The Haunted Train Car is the Halloween offering from the people who operate the Iron Mountain railroad in the heart of Jackson at the junction of U.S. 61 and Highway 25 (Hope Street and East Jackson Boulevard). The train car has a history going back almost 10 years, but has seen some changes in the past few as Douglas Parson took over as the director of operations for the haunted train car attraction.

The car is a 1930s Pullman car that sits stationary and is divided into a maze of rooms. Parson said it's not for the faint of heart.

Price: $5

Dates: Fridays and Saturdays, 7 to 11 p.m., open later if there are crowds

More info: http://slimrr.com/ or 243-1688

Ghost Storytelling

The River Campus serves as the backdrop for this event in the state-of-the-art Bedell Performance Hall. Brian "Fox" Ellis from Ohio and Megan Hicks from Australia will do the storytelling, with shows in the afternoon and at night.

Price: $12 for adults, $5 for children 14 years old and younger, $20 for both shows

Dates: 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday

Info: 651-2265 or http://www.rivercampusevents.com/featured/ghost-storytelling

Black Forest Haunted Ghost Town

One of the area's longest running haunts is the Black Forest Haunted Ghost Town, in its 18th year. The setup is an old west-style town with several buildings and a boardwalk ending in an outdoor maze, partially outdoors and partially inside, with the tour guided by the Grim Reaper. Darla Macke, who runs the town with her husband Greg, said they also invited patrons to sit around a bonfire and have hot drinks and hot dogs for sale.

Price: $6 for adults, $4 for children ages 6 to 12 years old

Dates: 7 to 10: 30 p.m. today, Oct. 19, 20, 26-27

Info: 335-0899

New Madrid Ghost Tours

The New Madrid Chamber of Commerce operates tours of the historic sites in the old Mississippi River town. The tours started in 2008, and due to their success have continued since, according to the website promoting the event. The tours do require a lot of walking and last 60 to 90 minutes, with brief stops along the way.

Price: $10

Dates: 7 and 9 p.m. Oct. 19 to 20 and 26 to 27

More info: http://newmadrid.wix.com/hauntedtour