DOW – Autumn has finally arrived and while the pumpkin patches have been packed with patrons, something more sinister is on the horizon: Halloween.
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Luckily for those love who getting spooked, “R” Acres of Terror is back and better than ever. The haunted attraction opens its doors for the season on Saturday, Oct. 1 and is open each Friday and Saturday of the month.
Located at 25873 State Highway 3 in Dow, just 10 miles south of Jerseyville and 10 miles north of Alton, the woods come alive with frights and the true terror that comes with the night: the darkness and what lies within.
Ron Root, the owner of “R” Acres of Terror, has assembled his haunt family to bring the area’s most interesting Halloween attractions back from the grave. His love for all things scary comes from his childhood.
“It goes back to when I was a kid and my mother used to scare me,” Root said. “When my wife and I got married in 1996, her family had a farm. It went through my mind that it would be cool to start a haunted house on the farm.
“I ended up bringing a haunt family together,” he said. “[Scaring people] is a hobby that brings us all together during the Halloween season that lets us come out of our shell, so to speak. It takes you out of the work place and the norm and lets you be someone that you can’t normally be in society. It’s having fun and a true adrenaline rush to scare people.”
The guests are certainly in for a fright. Not only does the attraction have twists and turns around every corner, but in the words of George R. R. Martin in his A Song of Fire and Ice series, the night is dark and full of terrors.
“You’re getting the campfire smells, you’re getting the natural sound of the woods: those bullfrogs, the crickets, the hoot owls. You get the natural effect of Mother Nature at night. It’s eerie just by the natural things and we add shacks of ‘demented who-evers’ out there and just add more elements to the backdrop.”
Though “R” Acres of Terror is scary by design, Root wants his potential guests to know that the attraction’s themes are kept relatively “PG.”
“I am a faith-filled person. There’s no type of satanic or devil things at our haunted house. We do it as clean and as family-oriented as possible,” he said. “I wouldn’t really recommend it for kids 12 or under, but you can bring them and we will tone it down. I’ll let my actors know and we’ll make it enjoyable for everybody. We will scare you, I don’t care who you are.”
Root hopes that everyone come out to his attraction this Halloween season and hopes to continue the venture in the future.
“Come out and support us,” he said. “If you want us to stay around, we definitely need everyone’s support to keep everything going.”
“R” Acres of Terror is open every Friday and Saturday of October, weather permitting, from dusk until “the last victim leaves.” Admission is $13 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under. Group rates are also available. Parking is free for the attraction and concessions are available for purchase.
For more information, visit the “R” Acres of Terror Facebook page or log on to www.racresofterror.com. Guests may also call Ron at 618-779-2891 if they have any questions.
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