Sean Berger and his team of actors and scene managers know what it takes to make people scared.

They're putting this knowledge to good use through Haunted Expedition, an outdoor haunted attraction being held at Shenot Farm in Marshall this October.

This is the second year for the attraction, which had its inaugural season at Rose Ridge Golf Course in West Deer.

“It's an entirely different attraction than what others are doing,” said Berger, of West Deer. “It's very interactive.”

This year's Haunted Expedition theme is “Our Town” and is based in an early 20th century town that has been overrun by demons and is trapped back in time, said Haunted Expedition manager Devon Struthers.

It consists of three interactive scenes featuring a doctor's office, a circus freak show and a tavern.

Guests will take a hayride through the farm to the trail and then walk in small groups from scene to scene through the farmland, Berger said.

These mini scenes will last five to 10 minutes and are meant to immerse guests in the storyline of the attraction, said Struthers, of Hampton.

Struthers, a former actor with Etna's ScareHouse, said few other haunted attractions in the country have immersive mini scenes, which makes their attraction unusual.

“We want our haunted houses to tell a story, not just ‘oh here's a scary thing,'” Struthers said. “We want to leave you with a message, with an overall experience and make you feel like you actually took part in this thing we're creating.”

Berger's interest in all things scary began when he was a young boy, he said.

Although he admittedly always has been terrified of haunted houses and trails, Berger and some friends began visiting various local haunted attractions throughout the fall season to review and rank them.

After a few years on the outside of the industry, Berger took the leap into setting up his own attraction when he organized a haunted house at his college, Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia, as a fundraiser.

Berger graduated this past spring with a bachelor's degree in world religion and has studied demonology, which gives him a unique perspective on this year's demon-themed attraction.

The Haunted Expedition team includes people from West Deer, Hampton, Pine, Richland and Cranberry.

Farm manager Rob Shenot said he is excited to have Haunted Expedition on the property this year.

Shenot Farm has hayrides to the pumpkin patch and a corn maze throughout the fall harvest season but never had a haunted attraction before.

“It was something that we've always sort of talked about, but we're farmers, and we're not entertainers,” Shenot said. “We never had the means or talent to carry this out. It really worked out that we were able to come together with the people that are really into it and put this together.”

Haunted Expedition is a member of the Haunted Attraction Association of America and during the off-season, Berger said organizers attend conferences and trade shows to continue learning about safety, scare techniques, costuming and equipment.

The attraction at Shenot Farm is family friendly and has little to no blood or gore or animatronics, Berger said.

They focus on a genuine fear-based scare, he said. Families can purchase special glow sticks for children to wear that will identify them to the actors, and actors will ignore the children during scares.

The attraction from start to finish, including the hayride and time spent on the trail, will last 35 to 40 minutes, Berger said.

Rachel Farkas is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 724-772-6364.

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