Opening for its 31st year, Field of Screams brings guests from all over the world new frights this year. Scaring “one and a half million victims since 1993,” Field of Screams introduced two new features for 2023 including Axe throwing, where participants can “test [their] lumberjack skills,” says fieldofscreams.com. The other new attraction, The Chainsaw Bar, serves themed drinks for guests aged 21 and up.
Field of Screams includes four attractions such as the Nocturnal Wasteland. In the attraction themed around grim woods, guests will walk down “narrow, winding paths through the dense overgrown vegetation.” New to the Wasteland in 2023 are creatures and characters “found only in your worst nightmare.” The Haunted Hayride is one of the attractions at Field of Screams that takes you on a trip into the cornfield through many different stations of different types of themed attractions. The Den of Darkness has three stories made up of a 170-year-old barn. Guests can “experience the Gory Garage as you try to escape the clutches of Leroy the mechanic,” according to fieldofscreams.com. Finally, the Frightmare Asylum has four floors “of the demented and deranged.” New in 2023, “visitors will explore the recreational wing where the inmates are just dying to meet you.”
One attraction clown named Carnage said actors must stay in character the whole night. His character is from the Frightmare Asylum, and he says, “They let me out at night to scare people. You see, we have an agreement, but if I go outside the bounds, they’ll zap me!”
Carnage is one of the scarers at the front of the grounds before people get on the attractions. He also mentioned that he enjoys going on the attractions as well as being part of them. Carnage said he “can’t just pick one” thing he likes about the event. “There’s just so many good things about the whole place.” He added the hayride has a “giant tunnel” that disorients riders, and “no place around here has that.”
Carnage said he is very passionate about his job and says, “I love being scared, but I have a lot more fun doing the scaring.” Carnage is often seen chasing people around with a very loud rubber chicken.
Along with all of the big four attractions, the haunt includes a calendar of events such as bands, dance teams, and a rap battle. The event offers three different five-minute escape rooms ranging in levels of difficulty. Field of Screams is open for the season from Sept. 8 till Nov. 10; the haunt is open only on select dates. For those that miss the Halloween season, Field of Screams offers select dates for four off-season events: Christmas on Dec. 9, Valentine’s Day on Feb. 10, St. Patrick’s Day on March 16, and Halfway to Halloween on May 4. Note that only the Den of Darkness and the Frightmare Asylum are open on these dates. According to fieldofscreams.com, on Nov. 10, they will host the extreme blackout night, where the attractions will be more intense and guests will be subject to “new methods of torture, physical restraint, and isolation that are not part of our regular show.”