Haunting in the Canyon: Sherwood Hills Haunted Forest gives both fright and delight
USU students don’t have to travel too far to see Jay Leno, Mike Meyers and even Pinocchio. However, being the names of some of the gruesome masks at the Sherwood Hills Haunted Forest, they may not look as expected.
The Haunted Forest winds its way on a path that overlooks 10 acres of deep woods, woods that have things lurking in them every October Friday and Saturday night. This attraction has enticed many for more than 20 years. This year, though, is Brett Christensen’s first year in charge of the forest, but fifth year participating.
Christensen, Cache Valley native and manager of the Haunted Forest, said it’s a hard show to pull off.
“My biggest stress is when we have mechanical failures. One time we lost power and obviously we can’t have people walking around in the dark because they’re going to get lost or hurt,” Christensen said.
What separates the Haunted Forest from other haunted houses is its outdoor setting, Christensen said, providing the actors with the correct atmosphere to perform optimal scaring.
“Most other places rely on props to set the atmosphere, we like to rely on really good acting,” Christensen said.
Employees are sought after that are from the theater/drama department for they’re acting skills, he said. The Haunted Forest has people who enjoy getting into costume and acting the part to scare customers, he said. Christensen said he has a unique approach not found in most businesses.
“We want people to be scared enough to run away and employees who enjoy and have fun with their job, because that’s when their going to do their best and make people scared enough that they need to get away,” Christensen said.
Christensen’s employees are encouraged to scare and even chase their customers; however, they are not permitted to touch the customers, he said. In spite of this comfort, children under 12 aren’t encouraged to attend, he said.
“We get a lot of high school and college students because it’s not really family oriented,” he said.
All customers are encouraged to follow the rules, which include staying on the path and avoiding causing intentional harm to the employees, he said. Once they have agreed to comply with the rules, customers can expect to get a thrill out of the forest, even if they are returning customers, he said.
“We have a lot of new scenes this year and the trail is different from years past,” Christensen said.
Christensen said his partner, Todd Kemp, helped to design many of the scenes, and many others were inspired by a previous manager, Cody Erickson.
What gives the Sherwood Haunted Forest that extra kick that makes it frightening? Christensen said it could be due to people actually believing the forest to be haunted. Kemp claimed to have had a paranormal experience while running concessions just weeks ago, Christensen said.
“My partner and another manager both have heard knocking on the door with no one being there,” Christensen said.
Christensen said Kemp felt his hair being swept up off of his forehead with no one in the room. There are many other people who have claimed to have had paranormal experiences, too, he said. Whether the forest is haunted or not is left up for customers to decide as they venture through its paths, he said.
When people wander through the Haunted Forest, Christensen said to pay close attention to one’s friends.
“It’s really funny because the ones that act tough end up being really scared often and then they are usually embarrassed after they are scared,” he said.
In his five years of working at the Haunted Forest, Christensen said he has seen some fairly funny reactions, for which he gives some advice to first-time comers.
“Respect the rules,” he said, “and go to the bathroom before you come.”
The Haunted Forest offers a $2 discount to groups of 20 or more. It will be running Oct. 24, 25 and Halloween night. For more information visit shhauntedforest.com
–beck.turner@aggiemail.usu.edu
Kneeling behind the devil, Brett Christensen tells about his favorite scene in the Sherwood Hills Haunted Forest. The Haunted Forest has enticed many for more than 20 years. (Kristy Jordan)