Field of Screams is starting its 2024 season with new updates to its attractions and surrounding area, welcoming a new 90-foot crashed airplane inside the Nocturnal Wasteland, the biggest development for the new season. This attraction creates a new location for visitors to travel through.
Field of Screams has also introduced a new entranceway and ticket booth for guests. There are no longer separate booths; instead, there is a new themed building where guests can buy and redeem their tickets. Then, they can head to the entertainment area, where they can enjoy games, escape rooms, food, and light projection shows. Maryland resident Caroline White says, “The scariest part of the whole night so far was getting chased out and stacked by these guys with chainsaws,” The entertainment area also has scarers in the surrounding area scaring guests. Some of these people include
Lester the Exterminator has been at Field of Screams for 11 seasons. Lester says that he comes back each year because he “love[s] Halloween and like[s] to scare people. This is honestly one of the best attractions in the country, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
The Haunted Hayride is 25 minutes of terror from attractions such as “blood-hungry pigs, crazy scientists, manic clowns, and carnivorous rednecks.” In the S.H.A.D.E. science facility, the mutants can now lift the wagon and shake it, adding a new experience to the ride this year. White adds, “My favorite part about the Haunted Hayride was when we stopped at a pig farm with a bunch of pigs hanging around us,” continuing, “The last stop was when my friend crawled over the top of me to run from people who were targeting her.”
Nocturnal Wasteland has the biggest revamp of the 2024 season, according to Field of Screams. There is a new scene in the trail called Shantytown. The biggest addition to this scene is the full-sized airplane inside. Participants climb a ramp into a rickety old school bus that dangles high above the hayride path, intersecting the two rides. Lester says, “Every year it is something insane, especially within putting an airplane out in a nocturnal wasteland. Every year, it’s over the top and it’s amazing.”
The Den of Darkness mansion has made enhancements to the house guest walk-through. This historic 1800s barn has transformed into a farmhouse, hotel, and the mansion estate of Francis Worth. This mansion has been thrilling guests for over 200 years. The three-and-a-half-story house includes a small crawl space at the top that participants must navigate through. White says, “My favorite attraction was probably the Den of Darkness because we had to crawl through a crawlspace and I had to crawl over a body and I screamed.” Lester also says “My favorite attraction is the Den of Darkness. I like that it’s a creepy old building full of different monsters, ghosts, and crazy people. I love it!”
Finally, the Frightmare Asylum has been revamped and updated by redoing the basement to a new series of rooms, as well as creating a new Sanitarium – or, an area of treatment for people who are regaining health or have a chronic illness – on the bottom floor. This asylum includes an experimental lab, the children’s ward, a disorienting checkered psychotherapy room, a posse of hobo clowns, and residents wielding chainsaws to chase guests out of the building. White explains, “My favorite part about the asylum was when my friend got taken away by people and became part of the attractions; it was funny to watch and fun to be a part of the attraction.”
Field of Screams is not only open from September to November. Back by popular demand, there now are off-season events hosted by Field of Screams on these holidays during 2024 and 2025. For the Christmas season – December 13 and 14; for Valentine’s Day, February 14 and 15; for St. Patrick’s Day, March 15, and Halfway to Halloween will be on May 3. However, only the Den of Darkness and Frightmare Asylum will be open during these special off-season dates.
Another special event Field of Screams hosts is the ninth anniversary of Extreme Blackout Night. This is the “most terrifying experience that Field of Screams has to offer!” All four attractions will be darker, and more intense, and hands-on participants will be subjected to new methods of torture, physical restraint, and isolation. Field of Screams even says, “This event is not for the faint of heart. Waivers must be completed to participate, Minors must have parental approval.”
White finished by saying, “This was my first time coming here and I had a really good time. I would love to come back. ”
