Forget the usual haunted house clichés. Spookywoods in Archdale, North Carolina, has taken the concept of “Halloween fun” and turned it into a fully realized and immensely terrifying immersive experience. Like, don’t be fooled. The attraction isn’t a walk through a dark corridor with someone shouting “Boo!” at you. It’s more like being dropped into a series of mini horror movies, each with its own set, style, and extreme level of chaos.

Step into Endora’s House, and you’re greeted by a witch who clearly has better dance moves than you. Cross the Luminous Passage, and you’ll feel like a rave threw up in a haunted tunnel (think blinking lights, shadows, and plenty of weirdness). Ashes Army drags you into the aftermath of miners who dug too deep and woke up things better left alone, while Camp Crystal Lake takes you to a summer camp where the counsellors are definitely not making s’mores.

But Spookywoods doesn’t stop at storytelling. ICONS lets you rub shoulders with horror movie legends without worrying about them gutting you for funsies (we’re talking to you, Michael), and The Creeper – a seven-foot cryptid with glowing red eyes – makes sure you keep one eye on the path ahead.

Every themed set is a carefully constructed world designed to keep you laughing, but mostly screaming. And that’s exactly what everyone needs on the 31st of October.