A day inside Niles Scream Park

The package on the doorstep, next to a black invitation with bright, bold lettering, is shaped like a coffin.

Not a big one. Just big enough to make you nervous.

It is small, wooden and navy blue. Brown letters on the lid read “Niles Scream Park: Fright at first bite.” You lift the lid. Inside is everything a person needs to survive a vampire attack, or at least a really weird weekend.

There is a vial of blood, earplugs, a red candle, a wooden stake, mini sunscreen (because vampires hate the sun), a garlic-free mint (because vampires also hate bad breath), a 6-inch glow stick, fake fangs, a tiny round mirror and a clove of garlic, just in case.

At the bottom sits an invitation to media night at Niles Scream Park.

You could toss the whole thing in the trash and never think about it again. That is the safe choice.

But then you would never know what you missed.

Niles Scream Park covers 44 acres off Mayflower Road in Niles, Michigan. It started as one small haunted house in 1974. In 2026, it is scaring people for the 53rd year in a row with seven attractions. On media night, guides lead guests on a daytime tour through the park and its secret passages. They show how the scares work and who is behind them. The season opened Sept. 11 and runs through Black Out weekend on Nov. 6-7.

So you say yes. Brave choice. Possibly a bad one.

Chapter 1: Something in the trees

The drive takes an hour. The park looks like a simple haunted house when you and your friend pull in; no big deal, you tell yourself.

Then you open the car door.

The air smells like a bonfire. Spooky music drifts from somewhere you cannot see. It feels like the first five minutes of a horror movie, the part right before everything goes wrong.

You decide to look around. That is when something moves in the corner of your eye.

Your heart pounds. Your palms start sweating. You do not know what it was.

You are about to find out.

This is your last chance to get back in the car. You do not.

Chapter 2: The great golf cart getaway

You follow the music to the entrance, and a friendly tour guide named Hannah Mervine says “hello.” Everything seems fine.

Then you look past her shoulder.

A clown dressed like a jester is walking toward you slowly. It waves, like an old friend. Come here, the wave says. Come closer.

Absolutely not.

Hannah has a plan. She hops onto a golf cart, you and your friend pile in and the three of you zoom off to the back entrance. It is the fastest getaway a golf cart has ever made.

Chapter 3: They know your name

You finally catch your breath. Enjoy it. It will not last.

Your next guide, Rachelle Dodge, is waiting at the back. On normal nights, she is part of the scare crew. Tonight, she is out of costume. In real life, she is a speech therapist for children with autism. She is very nice. She is also about to walk you straight into a crowd of monsters.

The trail is packed. Some creatures wear face paint. Others wear masks. The Terrifier is there. So are little dead newsboys. So are clowns… so many clowns.

The worst part: they know your name.

If you run, they chase you. If you freeze, they circle you like sharks. There is no way out but through.

Somehow, you make it.

You reach the midway. Around the corner, a clown waits. He waves. He does not chase you. He just stands there and watches, which is somehow creepier. Did he give up? Does he want you to come back?

Nobody knows. Then he is gone.

With the clown out of sight, you take in the midway. It is the heart of the park, with picnic tables, spots for food trucks, a DJ booth and a stage where dance groups sometimes perform. Photo ops are everywhere. Some are statues.

Such as the one with a skeletal body woven from twigs instead of bone, and a skull-shaped jack-o’-lantern for a head, he looks ready to breathe fire at any given moment. Yet, he stands surrounded by ordinary crates, pleasant-looking carved pumpkins, and a beautiful blue sky, a dark figure completely out of place in such cheerful surroundings. Others are animatronics that move. Time the picture right and the camera catches your face at peak panic. Very flattering.

Chapter 4: The Field of Screams

A few photos later, you are ready for your first attraction. Kind of.

A tall black fence rises in front of you: Above the entrance, giant white letters spell out “Field of Screams.” The Field is a long walk through the woods, packed with strange sounds, tall lamps, statues, mannequins and stuffed dolls staring at you from every direction.

You walk into a church. Coffins sit up front. Skeletons fill the pews, like they showed up early for a service that never ended.

Next is a witch’s shop. Speakers whisper to you as you pass. You can’t quite tell what they are saying. That is probably for the best.

Then comes a hallway with walls made entirely of coffins. Every so often, a hand shoots out, grabbing at anyone who looks easy to scare.

You peek through the open door of a house. Dirty stuffed animals hang from the ceiling in a huddle. Beside them is a doll. You really hope it’s just an animatronic. Its face is old and cracked all over. Wavy ginger hair hangs loose. Its eye sockets are darker than a black hole.

You don’t stay long.

Next is a maze of black wooden walls. Lucky for you, Rachelle knows the shortcuts. She pulls open hidden doors and leads you through secret passages that are usually for workers only. You even get to see the Field’s home base, where workers grab drinks and snacks and take bathroom breaks. Monsters need juice boxes too.

Then Rachelle drops some news. She cannot show you everything. Some things have to stay a mystery, she says, so you will come back as a paying guest.

Chapter 5: Welcome to Carn-Evil

You loop around to a carnival. It is bright and colorful and looks totally harmless.

It is not.

This is Carn-Evil, the evil clown carnival. Pool noodles dangle over the doorway like a car wash. There is a pluck-a-duck game, a kissing booth and a snack stand called Big Top Snacks that sells nothing at all. A row of stuffed clowns lines the wall. Look closer and you will see gaps between them. That is where the real clowns stand at night.

Sleep well.

Next is a saloon straight out of an old cowboy movie, piano and all. Then you walk into a store that looks like a gas station designed by a clown. Bright signs cover every wall, like “Mars,” “Sweet Shop,” “Night Owl Cafe,” “Pies” and everyone’s favorite drink, “Choke-a-Cola.” As you leave, a sign the size of a billboard looms over the building next door that says “Chew Mail Pouch Tobacco: Treat yourself to the best.”

Now comes the part designed to break your brain.

You step into a tunnel stuffed with fuzzy strings in glowing neon colors. It looks like silly string, or maybe a bubble gum explosion. The farther you walk, the dizzier you get. Every direction looks the same. You start to feel like you are walking in circles.

That is exactly what they want.

If you keep your head, you find the exit. You yank the curtain open and step into fresh air.

On the other side is a forest of crooked birch trees that look like they belong in a Dr. Seuss book. They lean. They tip. Some have fallen right across the path. At night, fog and flashing strobe lights make this spot a nightmare. In the daytime, it makes a great selfie.

Chapter 6: A very creepy Christmas

Past the trees, it is suddenly Christmas. Sort of.

Paper snowflakes, wreaths and twinkling lights are everywhere. The trees are decorated with baby doll parts instead of ornaments. A life-size gingerbread house sits in the middle, covered in fake snow. It looks like Christmas morning if Christmas morning had given up on life.

Rachelle says workers donate a lot of the decorations. So somewhere out there, someone cleaned out their closet and said, “These doll legs would look great on a tree.”

You cross a rubbery bridge over a creek that sinks with every step. Then Rachelle steers you through a staff-only area and past an old hayride set. Years ago, the park had a real hayride. But the wagons got scary, and not the fun kind of scary Niles likes. They also cost more to fix than they were worth. Rest in peace, wagons.

Chapter 7: Into the Wicked Woods

Next up is the Wicked Woods, the park’s second outdoor attraction. Rachelle explains that the Field and the Woods only open after dark. The indoor houses open as soon as the park does.

You walk into a chapel. A wedding is about to start.

Velvet curtains hang from the walls. Vines crawl up between stained-glass windows. The pews are empty, saving room for guests who have not arrived yet. Maybe that is you.

In the back corner stands a woman holding a candle that burned out long ago. Her dress is emerald green. Her hair is black. Her eye sockets are empty. Her face shows nothing at all.

Up front, the bride and groom stand beside a wedding cake oozing red goo that resembles blood. The groom looks happy and normal. The bride does not. Her dirty wedding dress has faded to a grayish purple. A nearly black veil hides her face. A crown of twigs sits on her head. The only nice thing about her is her bouquet. She is clearly not having a good day.

Outside the chapel, a path winds past gravestones. You are just starting to relax when a laughing animatronic explodes into action. It only goes off once in a while, and not for everyone.

It picked you. Congratulations.

Now it is your friend’s turn. Rachelle says to go left. Your friend wonders what is on the right. Big mistake. An animatronic shoots out a few feet toward them, and your friend takes off running.

Rachelle explains that the air is turned on today. That means the animatronics are awake and ready to scare anyone who wanders too close.

You keep moving, more carefully now. You pass hanging skeletons and towers of red skulls. On the right, a person tied to a wooden ledge thrashes around, dark hair hanging over their face. Then a werewolf bursts out of a giant doghouse, snapping at the air.

Next is a rickety old house painted teal and sea foam green. It seems to be a witch’s kitchen. A hag stands in the room with strange ingredients scattered everywhere. Whatever she is cooking, you are not hungry.

You push through cold velvet curtains into a round room. A woman dressed like a pilgrim stands in the corner beside a tipped-over seance table. It was built to spin, covered in candles and books. Now it is broken, which might be the only reason it is not haunting you.

Then you step outside, and everything changes. Fall leaves. Wooden barrels. A cute little cart. An old wooden stand is piled high with flowers and pumpkins. Skeletons dressed as farmers stand nearby. They even look kind of friendly. It is the coziest spot in the whole park and the perfect place for a photo.

Chapter 8: Pumpkins, puffs and a very brave water bottle

Pumpkins and jack-o’-lanterns line the path. Near the next doorway sits a stuffed farmer with an evil pumpkin for a head.

Whoosh! A loud blast of air makes you jump out of your skin.

You walk into a gazebo covered in leaves. A headless body stands nearby, covered in blood, holding its own head in its right hand.

Then you reach a row of hanging figures. None of them move. Phew.

Then the biggest one in the middle lunges forward and screams at you.

It hangs by its neck. It looks a lot like Frollo from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” But it looks so helpless that you almost feel sorry for it. Then it bows its head and goes back to sleep, like nothing happened.

You enter a plain tunnel. Beige walls that look like stone. Plants like the ones in a Louisiana bayou dangle from the ceiling. Animal skulls with horns hang on the walls.

This place is quiet. Too quiet.

You ask Rachelle if the scares are finally over. She says no.

You do not want to believe her. You should have believed her.

You walk to the very end of the hall. FLASH. A blinding light and a blast so loud it rattles your bones. You and your friend run for your lives.

You barely catch your breath before BANG. A puff of smoke explodes right at your friend’s feet. You both scream. Your friend, who was kindly holding your water bottle, slams it into the ground so hard it gets a giant dent in the top.

The water bottle did not deserve that. Rachelle is laughing so hard she can barely walk.

Chapter 9: The cave of absolutely not

Rachelle leads you to a pitch-black cave. Giant spiderwebs stretch across the entrance. Fake spiders hang all around it.

You ask what it is. Rachelle says it is the way you have to go. She will meet you on the other side.

Then she casually starts walking around it.

You ask what is inside. She says she does not know. You beg to go with her. Your friend offers to throw the dented water bottle in first, like a peace offering to whatever lives in there. The water bottle has been through enough.

Then Rachelle says you can come with her. You do not even hesitate. You encourage your friend to go through alone.

Your friend follows you instead. Coward.

Once you are safely around the cave, everybody bursts out laughing. Rachelle admits it was just a tunnel. She still has no idea if anything was actually inside.

The next trail is the old hayride trail. Loud, bouncy music plays, like a party in a graveyard. Out of nowhere, a fake man covered in vines springs out on the left, screaming and flapping his arms. Farther down, still bodies wrapped in tarps stand along the edge of the woods. Towering stacks of teal, oversized trick-or-treat boxes are piled high into the air, each painted with a classic jack-o’-lantern face.

You pass another dark tunnel. You do not go in. You have learned your lesson.

Chapter 10: The guide who hates clowns

As you walk, Rachelle tells you a secret. She was not always this brave.

Her first visit to the park was for her brother’s birthday. She was seven or eight-years-old. She is the youngest of three and the only girl. While standing in line, she turned around and came face to face with a clown.

To this day, she still will not do clowns. She is fine with everything else. Just not clowns.

The end of the trail leads back to guest parking. But Rachelle pulls open a secret door in the wall, and suddenly you are back on the midway where it all began.

Remember Hannah, the jester clown and the great golf cart getaway? Rachelle knows Hannah, and not just from work. The two of them grew up together.

Back on the midway, a giant, evil jack-o’-lantern monster cackles as it swings a screaming little boy back and forth. Carved pumpkins are everywhere. You smell this one long before you see it. The hay has a strong scent.

When it finally stops moving, Rachelle asks if you are ready for the main attraction.

Your friend cheers. You do not.

Chapter 11: Betrayed

You are promised that from here on, there will only be robots inside. No people. You believe it.

Should you?

On the way to the front, you spot the costumed actors again. You are told to act normal and not look scared. That sounds impossible. You ask if you can threaten them. Or maybe run away. Rachelle says no and that they will chase you.

She knows from experience. Once, a girl lost her shoe in the main house. Rachelle picked it up and chased her, still in character, to give it back. The girl ran. And ran. And ran. The chase lasted about 20 minutes. The girl never once stopped for her own shoe. When they finally reached the midway, Rachelle yelled after her.

“I was trying to give it back the whole time!”

So the best plan is to stay calm. But even then, the actors always remember. They will probably come for you anyway.

You stop to look over at the park map with a TV news crew and a dead newsboy. The map key lists all 26 things the park has to offer.

Then you put on your bravest face. You ignore the monsters. You walk right past them and slip inside without anyone noticing.

Or so you think.

Behind your back, your friend waves the actors over. Your friend tells them your name. Your friend tells them where you are going. Your friend tells them to go get you.

Your “friend” is a traitor.

The actors pour in. They chase you. They surround you. They scream your name from every direction. You grab onto Rachelle and bury your face in her shoulder. This is it. Your breaking point. You beg them to stop.

Rachelle makes it happen. The actors back off. Your friend is confused, but still laughing.

Rachelle swears she did not know they would be in there. She feels bad. You can tell. You can also tell she is trying very hard not to laugh.

She promises to walk in front and keep them away for the rest of the night. This building has two attractions. Rachelle takes you to the middle to grab water from the fridges. There, you bump into another person in costume. Rachelle tells him no. He leaves. Just like that.

Being the granddaughter of a volunteer and knowing the owner since she was seven-years-old comes with perks.

Chapter 12: The lunch lady from your nightmares

Once you cool off, you finally notice the noise. Screaming. Screeching. And loudest of all, the clang, clang, clang of pots and pans.

There is only one way to find out where it is coming from.

Rachelle leads in front. Your friend guards the back, finally doing something helpful.

You turn the corner into a dirty, vomit-green, falling-apart lunchroom. Welcome to the Sinister Schoolhouse. Zombies sit at the tables chewing on their lunch. A creepy cheerleader with long black hair bounces around in a white gown, shaking black and red pom-poms.

Then you see her. The scariest lunch lady in history.

Her skin is yellow. She has three chins. Blood drips from her lips and stains her apron. In her bright yellow gloves, she holds two pots. As you walk closer, she starts banging them together.

Next to her window, a sign reads “All trays empty before they are returned.” Today’s special? Meat pudding.

You are not hungry and the color of the walls finally makes sense.

You escape into a black hallway full of fog and spiderwebs. A sad girl is tangled in a giant web, her pale skin smeared with blood. Suddenly, a giant spider pounces from above her, screeching right at you.

Next is a wall made of skulls. Surprise, it is another secret passage.

On the other side is London After Dark: 1888. You get a sneak peek at a fancy old room full of velvet and candles. Hanging from the ceiling is a girl whose body is bent in ways bodies should never bend. Think “Stranger Things.” You know the scene.

You slip into a cabin with ropes hanging from the ceiling. The second you step inside, the whole room starts to sway while creepy piano music plays.

A few steps later, you are out on a dock surrounded by water, nets and plants. Painted on the wall ahead is a pirate ship surrounded by tentacles sticking out of the water, creating a strong sense of Peter Pan nostalgia in this particular area.

As your friend steps out, they spot a fake zombie hiding in the bushes and scream.

You tease them the whole way out. Payback.

Next, you are heading out the worker exit to get to the main house. Rachelle promises to tell the actors to leave you alone. She even calls over one of the people in charge (her “brother-dad,” Jeremy) to help out.

Chapter 13: Time out for monsters

Now you have two bodyguards. Jeremy crosses his arms at the actors, the universal sign for “Do not even think about it.” They are allowed to stay in character, but only from far away.

Then someone steps out wearing raggedy grandma clothes and a Terrifier mask. They are holding a knife. They raise a hand and step closer.

“Hello there, I’d like to have you for dinner,” they say.

You run. Everyone giggles.

Then a clown charges at you from the left, cackling like a maniac. Rachelle points at him and tells him to go put himself in time out.

And he does. He runs to a corner, crouches down and starts fake crying like he just got in big trouble. Another monster sits down next to him and pats his back.

But not everyone listens.

“I’m a news boy, I can’t be put in time out,” one small actor yells with a pout.

Rachelle tells him she means it. He does not argue. You keep walking.

Chapter 14: Above the scares

You cross a grassy field into the Niles Haunted House. It is the park’s biggest and most famous attraction, and it has been there since the very beginning.

But you are not going through it. You are going over it.

You climb a set of stairs. Up top, everything is wires and lights. You can see the roofs of the rooms below and even the gears that make the scares move. The floor is metal with tiny holes in it. It feels like a hand could reach up and grab your ankle at any second. Rachelle says you are higher up than it seems.

You hope she is right.

Down below, Rachelle’s grandfather strolls through the attraction. Above his head hangs a fake woman with long black hair. You will be seeing her again.

Your friend says they want to come back as both a real guest and volunteer. Rachelle says the best part is watching 6-foot quarterbacks shove their girlfriends in front of them and run. She once made a huge Notre Dame linebacker curl up into the fetal position. His friends never let him forget it.

You climb back down into the room right under where you were standing. Stone walls. Candles. Whispering voices. Fog rolls past cracked walls. And there she is: the girl with the long black hair, hanging from the rafters above you.

Rachelle gives you a choice. You can end the journey here or continue on.

You take the defeat. There is no shame in it.

Chapter 15: Punches and the yearbook

Before you leave, Rachelle shares a few more secrets.

There are cameras all over the house to keep workers safe. That matters, because people do not always react well to being scared. Rachelle once got punched in the throat. She jumped out at a woman, and “Opa!” she swung. The woman burst into tears and kept saying how sorry she was. Rachelle gagged, but she knew it was just a reflex.

The house also has eight different routes, so every trip through is a little different. Along the way, doorways on both sides serve as chicken exits. If a guest wants out, workers pull them through one and walk them back to the midway.

Now look closer at the hallway walls.

They are covered in signed names and painted pictures from top to bottom. The workers call it the yearbook. Some of the names go back to 2009. That is the same year a lot of today’s high schoolers were born.

Rachelle points to two names side by side from 2021. One is hers. The other belongs to Hannah Mervine. She says they have signed almost every wall, finding a brand-new spot every year.

And that is where your tour ends. You survived.

Mostly.

Chapter 16: So you want to be a monster?

If all of this sounds like your idea of fun, good news. You can volunteer. All you have to be is a high school junior or older.

Workers who have been around forever are called legacies. That means three or more generations of their family have worked at the park. Rachelle is one. Her grandfather and her mom have both been part of the team.

And yes, even the monsters get scared. Rachelle’s mom gets her face painted, takes her spot and does not move all night. No breaks. She stays put until the lights come back on.

Rachelle has a different job. She is a lead. Once an hour, she visits every worker in the main house and gives them a five-minute break to grab a drink or run to the bathroom.

If you volunteer, one thing is guaranteed: screams. All night long. Every so often, you might even meet what the workers call streamers. In plain words, people who get so scared they wet their pants.

There is one more thing to know. Volunteers do not get paid. The park is a nonprofit. Paid actors called creatures, and a step below them, cripplings, work alongside about 200 volunteers each night. Those volunteers come from more than 65 local community and school groups. At the end of the season, everyone gets together for a pizza party, and each group leader gets a check. Since 1974, the park has donated more than $2.8 million to charities and college scholarships.

Not every job is scary, either. On the midway, volunteers run the photo ops, ticket scanners, axe throwing and photo booth. No scaring required.

Chapter 17: Before you go

Niles Scream Park is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through October. Adults Only Night is Oct. 30. On Black Out weekend, Nov. 6-7, guests walk through the attractions with nothing but a glow stick. Single attractions cost $10 to $32. The Frightful Nightful pass covers every attraction for $44, or $49 on October Saturdays. More information is at haunted.org or 269-687-FEAR.

So here you are, back at the beginning. The coffin-shaped box is sitting on your doorstep. The glow stick is inside. So is the garlic.

You know what is waiting for you now.

Do you open it?

A day inside Niles Scream Park

Comments