HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The Haunted Farm, a popular scare attraction in rural Hendersonville, N.C., usually opens their ghoulish gates in September. For one weekend this May, however, the park will host a new horror experience, “Halfway to Halloween,” hoping to draw in curious springtime crowds with creepy, crawly thrills.

“Halfway to Halloween” will be held from 8-11 p.m., Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9 at The Haunted Farm, 624 Townsend Road, Hendersonville, N.C. Find tickets at www.nchauntedfarm.fearticket.com.

Night of the living theme park

According to Daniel Ballard, general manager of The Haunted Farm, “Halfway to Halloween” is not the first time the theme park has reanimated itself outside of spooky season.

“We had previously tried the Valentine’s Day Haunt,” Ballard said. “It went well, but it didn’t quite do what we wanted it to do, and we toyed around with this idea for a little while and we’re thinking, hoping, that this has a much better turnout, since it’s not gonna be as cold. And, you know, it’s not as close to Halloween as Valentine’s Day was.”

Ballard said that “Halfway to Halloween” will feel very similar to the regular run of The Haunted Farm. There will be live music on Saturday, concessions for sale all weekend and many of the same scares the park is renowned for. At the same time, the event is an opportunity for the scare attraction to experiment with a few new twists, turns and terrors before this autumn.

“There’s a few secret things we’re trying out this year. Some different roaming characters and things like that, trying to see how well they work for the main season,” Ballard disclosed. “Then also, this is our hoorah before the main season, when we plan to make some significant updates between ‘Halfway to Halloween’ season. Goodbye for a few of our spots, a few of our attractions.”

For the uninitiated, The Haunted Farm is a 45-minute horror walk-through. Like a haunted house, attendees who brave the experience are tasked with traversing one terrifying scenario to the next. The Haunted Farm is massive, with scenes like an outdoor chainsaw chase, a claustrophobic mine shaft and a killer clown circus, requiring visitors to climb up and down stairs, wind through passages and push through swinging doors along the way.

“It’s just immersion after immersion after immersion. The Haunt is as realistic as we can make it, for the most part,” Ballard said, “Lots of blood and guts and gory fun, and actors having a good time scaring people.”

Ballard and his team put a tremendous amount of effort into the experience. In addition to the scare actors and SFX, The Haunted Farm is enhanced by subtler touches, like scent cannons, sound effects and special lighting.

“Some of the scenes, we do embellish year-round. We add to them, and a lot of times, those little details? People don’t even notice that have come through before,” Ballard said. “It’s a more immersive thing.”

For tickets and more information about The Haunted Farm, visit www.nchauntedfarm.com.