Theme parks that'll make you scream

Halloween events are nearly as big and as popular as the summer season's amusement rides. ~ From staff and wire reports

John Taylor is a ringmaster of sorts, directing an assortment of ghouls and sideshow freaks in the shadows of Cedar Point amusement park's roller coasters in Sandusky, Ohio.

It's opening night at the park's annual Halloweekends event, and the monsters are milling about in search of jagged teeth and wrinkly ears. Some are getting too restless, interrupting Taylor as he dabs black paint on the face of Mike Vatan, aka "Lord of the Monsters."

"The monsters haven't learned monster etiquette yet," Taylor says with a sigh and a chuckle.

Soon the "Screamsters" will stake out their places in the haunted houses and fog-filled paths throughout Cedar Point, waiting to frighten anyone who comes along.

"To see them scream makes it all worth it. There's no better raw emotion than fear," said Vatan, an imposing 6-foot-5 figure with skulls hanging from his belt and horns jutting from the top of his head.

Theme parks nationwide are transforming themselves into dark and spooky Halloween attractions at a time of year that once was a slow period but now is one of the busiest.

"October is as big for us as July and August," said Susan Tierney, a spokeswoman for Knott's Berry Farm, which claims to have started the amusement park craze for Halloween fright.

The park near Los Angeles hired an additional 1,000 people for October, including 100 roaming monsters. Some are known as sliders because they run and slide at unsuspecting guests.

Six Flags St. Louis transformed its amusement park into a spooky, scary place complete with cobwebs, tombstones and skeletons for its annual Fright Fest weekends through Oct. 31.

The first major event was a Hallowedding Friday night. Twenty-five couples were united in a wedding ceremony, complete with dead flower bouquets and a ghoulish minister.

Other events include a hypnotist show, trick-or-treating and a haunted hayride. There's even an interactive game, Fearanoia, that allows up to 4,000 guests to play. Each guest is given a tag and a mission to survive until the end. Characters known as Body Taggers help guests survive or prove to be their demise.

A Terror Train takes visitors on a 15-minute journey into a ghost town, alien landings and encounters wth trolls and evil clowns.

While most of the events are for adults, there are haunted amusings for children. The Looney Tunes Town Markie's Mansion is a kid-friendly haunted house and children are invited to come for a Halloween story.

Knott's Berry Farm and Universal are open in the day and then close for an hour or so while they are transformed. Both warn that the parks aren't for children at night.

"This really pushes beyond the family," Story said. "Our houses are very scary."

Halloween events have become so big that the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions a year ago began devoting an area at its annual trade show to spooky characters and special effects.

A successful October can help park operators make up for bad weather in earlier months, said spokeswoman Beth Robertson.