Written by Julianna Kelsey and Aidan Mattingly:
Distant chainsaws echo, fog settles low to the ground and screams cut through the cold October air. This is Haunted World, Idaho’s largest haunted attraction, where hundreds gather each night to chase the fear-induced thrill.
What started as a small corn maze 26 years ago has transformed into an iconic local Halloween attraction with two haunted walkthroughs and an elaborate, spooky village for visitors to linger in.
Co-owner Scott Ethington still remembers the early days when the setup took just a few weeks. Now, the operation begins in January and spans nearly 40 acres of elaborate sets, costumed actors and a sea of headlights from cars lined up for miles.
“It takes about eight months to get everything ready,” Ethington said. “By the end of October, the road will be backed up for miles. That’s how many people will come.”
Haunted World’s scale and detail have earned it a reputation far beyond the Treasure Valley, drawing in guests from Oregon, Washington and California.
Each year brings new sets, with this season featuring a gothic cathedral, a cannibal cafe and an alien crash site — a renewed commitment to making every scream count.
“We’ve just focused on making it the best we can have,” Ethington said. “Every year, we add something new.”
Ethington owns the attraction with his brother, Steve. Together, the brothers work to make Haunted World as impressive as possible, visiting attractions around the country to learn more about the industry and find inspiration for improvements.
“[Steve] makes it so one of us doesn’t have to carry the whole load,” Ethington said. “There is so much to coordinate. It’s a very big production.”
The production quality has even drawn attention from the big leagues. Creative teams from major attractions across the country visit Haunted World to see how Ethington and his crew make it happen.
“Two years ago, we had the entire staff from Disneyland that flew up from California and asked me for a private tour,” Ethington said.
Haunted World’s success results from a massive effort by the Ethington family through decades of trying new things and investing in the details.
“We put everything we earned back into it, and it took us a long time to get it where we wanted it,” Ethington said.
When the gates open at the start of each night, the world transforms. Guests weave through haunted farmlands, fog-filled corridors, abandoned churches and dark caverns while listening to distant screams.
The main walkthrough takes about 45 minutes to complete, while the smaller walkthrough, Skullvania, takes about 15 minutes.
The main walkthrough feels like a descent into another world. Fog wraps around your legs as the scent of damp corn and earth, immersed by fear, fills the air. The path stretches on for nearly an hour, winding through barns, graveyards, mineshafts and a 55-foot slide that plunges guests down into even more scares.
Every few steps, someone — or something — is waiting. Scare actors lurk behind fences, crouch beside cornrows and appear out of nowhere. Some are silent and wait for just the right moment to strike a scare, while others will sprint straight at you.
The rooms grow stranger as you move deeper. You encounter strobe-lit clown chambers where walls seem to shrink, a dizzying spiral hallway that spins like a funhouse gone wrong and a gothic cathedral where robed nuns pray among flickering candles. Each section builds to a relentless rhythm of fear and adrenaline.
If the main walkthrough feels like a nightmare in the open, Skullvania traps you inside it. Themed like an abandoned asylum, it’s a maze of tight hallways, flickering lights and echoing screams.
Visitors brush past peeling walls, stumble through hospital-inspired rooms and cross an illusory floor that makes it seem like they are walking over a bottomless pit. Cages rattle with zombies and eerie nuns chant from the shadows before lunging toward the crowd. It’s a claustrophobic experience that leaves most people gasping for air when they finally reach the exit.
Behind every scream at Haunted World is the dedicated team of scare actors who hide in the shadows, ready to terrify visitors at every twist and turn. Between the hours of preparation and self-confidence it takes to be truly scary, the job isn’t for the faint of heart.
On any given night, there can be up to 80 actors roaming the grounds.
Kadance Myers, a Boise State psychology student, has been scaring guests for four years. Her night begins in the makeup trailer, where actors transform into monsters before gathering for a pre-show chant.
“We say ‘Let’s go chicken hunting’ because that’s what we’re after,” Myers said.
Actors are given creative freedom to craft their own characters. Some are inspired by animals, while others are twisted versions of humanity. Many have spent years perfecting the art of making someone jump without ever touching them.
Myers explained actors are encouraged to scare from a distance but approach from the sides or behind to bring out the most effective scare.
“Everybody loves jump scares, so that is everybody’s first go-to, but scares don’t always have to be that way,” Myers explained.
Haunted World scare actor Caleb Bess said scaring should be simple. You don’t need an elaborate costume or a bunch of gore, he explained, but you do need the element of surprise. If people are expecting a jumpscare, it won’t work.
Bess, dressed in a handmade costume he’s been curating over several years, complete with crocheted voodoo dolls and a skull mask, shared his character was inspired by a “creepypasta”.
The fictional story follows Charles Sumner, a 1920s pianist who won $10,000 in a contest but was then killed by his fiancée’s secret lover. After his death, Mama Creole, his mother and a voodoo priestess, revived her son. Ever since then, he’s run a half-price voodoo shop. The catch?
“Anyone who wishes for anything is damned for taking the easy way out,” said Bess.
Eventually, you’ll run into actor Kevin Chiu, also known as “Buddy”, who scares alongside his actor relatives at his farm. Chiu mixes dark humor with ghost stories as he works, blurring the line between myth and performance.
“Many years ago, a couple of men were hanged here after murdering dozens and now their spirits still roam the grounds,” Chiu said, embodying his character. “I’m not saying we use people as fertilizer – but yes, if you need a snack, you got a snack right here.”
The entire production has spooky lore behind it — guests can read the legend of murderous farmer Gustav Gristle before entering the haunted walkthroughs, adding to the immersive and terrifying experience.
Generations of guests have attended Haunted World over the years, and the attention to detail, spooky atmosphere and terrifying thrills are what keep them coming back every October.
Boise State freshman Riley Ogilvie described her first visit as “the scariest thing in the world”. She recalled being chased out of the haunted house by a scare actor with a chainsaw.
That kind of reaction is exactly what makes the hard work worth it for Ethington and his team.
Haunted World has become more than just a business — the talented actors, innovative spirit and large crowds have made it a seasonal tradition that has lasted for decades.
Contributions by Olivia Brandon
