SCARY: But a whole lot of fun

In response to the letter condemning Scarywood of “disgusting behavior,” I must protest. Many of the complaints from Faith Normington are under-researched or just misinformed. The main two complaints were “the six-breasted woman” in Terror Canyon Trail and the profanities uttered on the Zombiewood Express. I hope to cast some illumination on these two objections. If in the process of illuminating these confusions I give away some of the terror or surprise of first-time visitors to Scarywood, I apologize.

Firstly, the theme of the Terror Canyon is a combination of “Girl Scouts gone missing” and “genetic experiment gone wrong.” You walk through a drained Thunder Canyon searching for the lost Girl Scouts. When you find them, they are held prisoner by pig-like people. The actors who play these people are scary enough in their own right, and combined with the costumes it provides for a terrifying experience. The woman that Faith’s son found offensive is a giant mother pig-like person. I have attended Scarywood since its inception, and I have never found anything sexual in this situation. And actually, if you delve into the situation, you’ll realize that this image (if shown in a movie) would not merit an “R” rating. If you consider the pig-like creature a human in its base form, and you do consider that she is baring her “breasts,” then it would still fall into a PG-13 rating. Many films show female nudity and still receive a PG-13 rating.

Secondly, the Zombiewood Express has its own individual rating. While the park is for adolescents 12 and above, the train is not recommended for anyone 16 or younger. The Scarywood website states, “This haunt uses strobe lights, fog, loud sound effects and lewd language.” This ride, unlike Terror Canyon, is rated R. But it is not as if you aren’t warned; in the process of waiting in line for the train, you probably see three signs explaining this fact. If you decide to go on the ride after seeing these signs and spending the three- or four-hour wait in line contemplating whether or not you wish to be exposed to this kind of language and behavior, then be prepared. Of course, when you ride the train you will usually see some younger kids with their parents, but as always, some individuals can handle more intense situations in stride.

Like any other Halloween event, some rides or parts of the park may be too scary for some people. It is up to an individual to decide what they can handle and what they can’t. I know that I really appreciate having a quality Halloween event so close to me.

AMANDA MURDOCK

Athol