Thursday, October 28, 2010

Your last-minute scare

Halloween is Sunday, so it's crunch time. I'm sure most of you are adding the final touches to your costume. Lady Gaga, anyone?

No matter what guise you are donning this year, Halloween is about stepping outside our comfort zones and having a little fun. It's (unfortunately) the only holiday that allows us to dress like crazy people and beg for candy. It's the only holiday where broomsticks, skeletons and demon-shaped door markers are as commonplace as the fall foliage. Most importantly, it's the only holiday when we won't judge you if you scream like a little girl.

Here's a list of places to get your last-minute scare -- if you dare.

This Broadview Heights attraction boasts a legion of monsters (see photo) who linger in the darkness, preying on your fear. $15.

This 124-year-old Mansfield landmark once housed actual lost souls. Beware the shifting floors, disguised actors, and ghosts of inmates whose punishments have lasted into the afterlife. $15-17.

North Olmsted's smorgasbord of fright features a haunted mansion, morgue, carnival, and meat market. But that's not the worst of it. Be on the lookout for clowns -- and not the face-painting, animal-balloon-making kind. $13.

Sometimes, the scariest stories are real. Learn of Cleveland's most gruesome murders on this guided charter bus tour. $50.

For more ghastly and ghostly Halloween outings, see the list at the bottom of this page from October's Cleveland Magazine.

Photo from bloodview.com.

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