It’s the time of the year that ghosts, goblins and ghouls start to resurface. Bellingham's haunted house scene is on display from Oct. 18 to 20 and Oct. 25 to 27.
Bellingham residents seeking an exciting and scary weekend activity will be happy to learn about the exciting events planned for this Halloween season.
“I’ve had a lot of Bellingham residents really interested in the ghosts and not so much the history [of the tour],” said Charles Crooks of Bellingham Ghost Tours. “There's a lot of people interested in learning about the paranormal activity we have here.”
Anyone looking for a scare doesn't have to go far. Depending on the age range and spook tolerance of your group, some places might have the perfect scare for you.
“It’s scary but in good fun, I definitely ran and was spooked, but I know it's fake so there isn't too much of a reason to freak, at least for long,” said Maddy Glasser, an attendee of Nile Nightmares Haunted House.
Whatcom Frightmare opened its annual haunted house on Friday, Oct. 18, at 5 p.m. at Pioneer Park in Ferndale. The show runs over the entire weekend and into the following weekend, Oct. 25 to 27.
The event includes two separate shows to best satisfy visitors' desired level of fear. For a younger crowd, the light scare happens from 5 to 7 p.m. but for those searching for a thrilling experience, the full scare happens from 8 to 10 p.m.
The light scare consists of a shortened pathway, with lights for full visibility of rooms and actors. Additionally, the characters from the light scare will not be the same as those from the full scare.
“We take our scary costumes and turn them into something fun,” said Beth Hensley, event organizer of Whatcom Frightmare. “Michael Meyers will be Curious George. Our vampire turns into a shark.”
The full scare; however, will not be easy sailing. The team extends the path, turns off all the lights and adds hidden spots for perfect jumpscares. The actors also get into their scariest attire.
“We’ve had people pass out,” Hensley said.
Hensley states the event has a strict no-touch policy. Visitors should not touch performers, and actors will not touch visitors. Strong protocols are in place for any kind of emergency, no matter how big or small.
“Safety is our number one priority, we wanna create a fun, friendly, affordable place for families to go,” Hensley said.
Scream Fair, located at the Northwest Washington Fairground in Lyden, is an additional haunted house. The first weekend was Oct. 17 and 18 and it will continue the next weekend, Oct. 25 and 26.
Ticket sales are made at the door. The first tour opens at 7 p.m., and the event lasts until 10 p.m. Ticket sales close for the night if the line exceeds a two-hour wait at 9 p.m. With the motto "when phobia meets reality", attendees should be prepared for an evening of terror.
Lastly, the Bellingham Arts Academy for Youths presents The Nightmare on Maple. BAAY presents a two-part production on Oct. 27, 28 and 31 that will cater to a variety of audiences.
For younger crowds, the festivities start at 6 p.m., and last till 9 p.m. Stop by the BAAY theater to watch Zombie dancers, or swing by Boundary Bay Brewery to walk through the converted “fear garden.”
For the 21-plus crowd, the fun doesn't stop there. When the clock hits 9 p.m., the Fear Garden will switch to 21-plus and add more mature content for guests to experience.
This fall, Grace Aukschun-Johnson (she/her) is a city life reporter for The Front. Grace is a third-year student studying public relations at Western. If Grace isn't writing stories, she'll be found painting, hanging out with friends or thrifting! The best way to get in touch with Grace is graceaukschun.thefront@gmail.com.
