Crews at Fort Henry have started working on transforming the 19th-century fortress into Fort Fright.
It will be the 11th year that Fort Henry will be taken over by creepy crawlies and creatures of all sorts, but for 2018, the venue will showcase some less frightening attractions to delight the younger crowds — these include family-friendly zones called “Haunted Harvest” and “The Otherworld.”
Organizers seemed particularly interested in the Otherworld zone, which they describe as a different universe full of wonder and imagination.
“You’re stepping into another dimension and this space that’s kind of trapped between summer fading into fall,” said Jamie Oomen, events and operations co-ordinator at Fort Henry.
“You meet enchanting characters and you go to enchanting places and you find your way through this ‘otherworld’ and then back to reality.”
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Despite a more family-friendly focus, organizers assured that the jumps and scares will still be part of this year’s attractions.
This year, Fort Fright will follow a science theme, and guests will go through a gauntlet of phobia rooms to test their wits.
Ian Bell, Fort Henry’s special events assistant, says that keeping Fort Fright fresh every year can be a challenge.
“We run into a few different — not problems but difficulties, with having props that obviously need to be used year after year, and trying to find a way to use them in a new way that people haven’t seen before,” said Bell.
But Bell believes even serial Fort Fright attendees will still jump at Fort Henry’s yearly festival of fear.
“There are going to be a few little sections that are going to be the same as years past, but we like to put a new spin on it,” he said.
Crews are just about halfway through construction of the two new zones and are planning to be ready for an Oct. 4 opening.
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