A tour of Lake County haunted houses

Monsters stalk the streets at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee during Fright Fest. (Photo provided)

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Halloween can be a difficult holiday for those unable to make it through a horror movie without screaming enough to wake the whole neighborhood. But for those who anxiously await the goblins, ghouls and goodies, Halloween is a holiday to savor. Boasting haunted houses that are sure to leave a person trembling, Lake County provides the Halloween connoisseur with ample opportunities to enjoy scares and screams. Before you set out on your Halloween adventures, let the Lake County Journals be your guide to some of the best haunted horrors in the county. X-treme Hauntings As the name suggests, X-treme Hauntings in Fox Lake is not a Halloween attraction for amateurs. "We got the name because we're not holding back," owner John Vileta said. "A lot of these other places are afraid of taking it to the next level." Utilizing both technology and live actors, X-treme Hauntings is a place that Vileta wants people to be afraid to return. Last year, he said, four people passed out from the intense experience. "This is not the day when you can hide in the corner and say, 'Boo.' People don't want that anymore," he said. Vileta said X-treme Hauntings workers build all of the props, and its employees are constantly listening to customers for ideas on how to improve the business. The goal is to create an experience unique to the area, Vileta said. "Everybody has their own style of doing things. Personally, we build like Fort Knox. We over-build everything so we don't have problems throughout the year." X-treme Hauntings is open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Halloween weekend. Doors open at 7 p.m., and tickets are $12 on Friday and Saturday and $10 on Sunday. X-treme Hauntings is located at 76 Honing Road in Fox Lake. The house is recommended for those 13 and older. Vileta said he does not mind if his X-treme Hauntings is scary enough to turn some people away. "Some owners only think about the bottom dollar. I'm just trying to break even," he said. Dungeon of Doom Entering its 12th year, Dungeon of Doom in Grayslake is a Halloween destination for thrill seekers from miles around. "People come to visit our attraction from all over the Chicago and Milwaukee area," co-owner Peter Koklamanis said. "We have an incredible return-customer base. We have convinced our customers that year in and year out that [they] will get a high energy experience." It is his years of experience and visits to many other haunted houses that has brought Koklamanis to the realization that energetic live performers are critical to a scary haunted house. "We have tried to master a couple things and one of those is to energize our performers in order to elevate their performance on a nightly basis," he said. "We basically are trying to master the art of scaring people." Along with co-owner Tony Relken, Koklamanis does not want just anyone working to scare customers at Dungeon of Doom. "We pick and choose those individuals that really understand the concept of timing and become very involved in the customer's direct, private space," Koklamanis said. One of the most popular attractions at Dungeon of Doom, Koklamanis said, is "Buried Dead or Alive," which gives visitors the feeling of being buried alive in a coffin. New this year to Dungeon of Doom is the haunted maze "Labyrinth of Doom." Dungeon of Doom is open every weekend through Halloween and some weekdays. (Check the Web site www.dungeonofdoom.com for a complete list of days.) Tickets are $15 and doors are open 7 p.m. on Fridays and 6:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Dungeon of Doom is located at 50 Route 45 in Grayslake at the Lake County Fairgrounds. Realm of Terror One of the scariest haunted houses in the state resides smack dab in the middle of Lake County - Kristoff's Realm of Terror Haunted House, located at 421 W. Rollins Road in Round Lake Beach. Named one of the top 10 haunted houses in Illinois last year by Haunted Illinois, Kristoff's boasts a range of "untraditional scare tactics" for a night of thrills one will never forget, said Tom Kristof, owner of Kristof's Entertainment Center. The Realm of Terror, however, is not for children under the age of 13. "This particular haunt is designed for the not faint of heart," Kristof said. "We probably send away 30 people [a night] from the front scare, and the back scare - they never make it through." The Realm of Terror draws an average of 600 to 700 customers a night, Kristof said. The back scare - an 800-square-foot fog maze, with surprises, of course - has left customers struggling to get out for more than 45 minutes, said Kristof's 18-year-old son, Steve. Steve Kristof, alongside Brad Cannon and Jeff Standeven, have made upgrades from last year's haunted house and are looking to have the Realm of Terror named the top scare house in the state this Halloween season. "The three of them are the co-directors of this haunted house. They simply have put together the best haunted house, and I'm not telling you this as the owner," Kristof said. "We have a haunted house here that is second to none. If we don't take first place, we should be second." The Realm of Terror is open from 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 7 p.m. until no earlier than midnight Friday and Saturday. Admission is $10 a person, with $2 coupons available online at www.kristofs.net. Fright Fest A long-time favorite for thrill seekers, Fright Fest is back at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee. "This time of year at the park is such a unique experience. The whole park is really transformed, and you get this whole sensory experience," said Brooke Gabbert, public relations manager at Six Flags This year the park boasts a new feature titled "Save A Cockroach ... Eat Another Creepy Crawler," Gabbert said. With cockroaches not on the menu, the options for hungry park-goers include earthworms, meal worms, grasshoppers, silk worms and snails, she said. "[The bugs] are real, and the guests can have the opportunity to eat whatever the wheel lands on," Gabbert said. For these looking for a less frightful environment, the park also offers scare-free zones for families, Gabbert said. Six Flags is located at 542 N. Route 21 in Gurnee. The park is open every weekend through Halloween. Check the park's Web site at www.sixflags.com for prices and hours. Halloween Gala For Halloween fun that's a little less intense and a little more kid-friendly, the Wauconda Park District offers its 19th annual Halloween Gala from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25. The gala will feature events both inside and outdoors. Carnival games will take place inside the park district's gym, while a haunted hayride will travel through Cook Park. Also featured will be the annual duck race, where children watch rubber ducks float down a river created by the park district. Ducks can be purchased for $1 a piece, or $10 a flock (12 ducks) The average age of attendees is between 3 and 10, though older volunteers help run the event, said Jill Hastings, marketing coordinator of the park district. "The nice thing about it is we have teenage volunteers come and dress up," Hastings said. "I think this is a great event because Wauconda doesn't really offer too much for Halloween. It gets everyone involved." The gala will be held at the Community Center, 600 N. Main St., in Wauconda. Admission is $10 for the first child and $8 for each additional child. Adults are free. Haunted Harvest The Haunted Harvest at Lambs Farm in Libertyville is a Halloween event that caters to the entire family. Open from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, and Saturday, Oct. 25, the Haunted Harvest is in its fourth year of family spooking. "We have stuff for little kids, and we have stuff for people looking to get scared," said Jackie Rachev, communications coordinator of Lambs Farm. "It's something that appeals to the whole family. It's nice to come out, and you can get a full range of activity for the whole family, for the 4-year-old to the 12-year-old who wants to go on the train." The train - known as the Train of Terror - is the spookiest attraction that Lambs Farm offers, Rachev said. It loops the back of the farm, around Lambs Lake, and is the most popular stop at the event. The Haunted Harvest also features graveyard golf (mini golf with a cemetery theme), the enchanted carousel, monster midway games and a creature walk - a stroll through the farm yard, where farmhands stand by in costume. Children are invited to dress in their Halloween costumes, as well, Rachev said. An all night pass is $15 a person; kids younger than 3 are free with the purchase of an adult pass. Individual activity pricing also is available: graveyard golf is $5; creature walk is $3; enchanted carousel is $3; and Train of Terror is $5. Lambs Farm is located at 14245 W. Rockland Road in Libertyville, at the intersection of I-94 and Route 176. A special activity will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 18. Radio station 9 FM (99.9, 92.5, 92.7) will bring its street team and play games in the parking lot of Lambs Farm. Also, Lambs Farm will host the Little Goblins Gathering from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 25, where crafts, costume contests for children and pets, and more will be offered.

town: lindenhurst