Spookyworld to Bring Back "Terror in Rhode Island" This Year

SpookyWorld is coming back to Cranston.

The Litchfield, N.H.-based company, which has long been considered one of the best haunted houses and Halloween-themed scare-your-pants-off events in New England, worked out a deal with the owners of Mulligan’s Island last year to set up a Spooky World there.

With the arrival of a semi-truck emblazoned with a “Terror in Rhode Island” banner in recent days SpookyWorld has made it clear they’re coming back for more.

This year, they’ll be delivering three of the “most horrifying haunted attractions ever seen” including a 3-D adventure “of disturbing proportions,” their Web site proclaims.

Below is a trailer for Terror in Rhode Island 2:

“It will be a great time,” said Michael Accomando of Spookyworld. “If you like to cry.”

Accomando said Mulligan’s Island, located off New London Avenue (Route 2) right off the Route 37 exit is a “great spot.” It’s right near highway access, has great visibility and is centered in the heart of Rhode Island’s dense urban core.

Employees go through rigorous training to learn the nuances of fright, which go far beyond just yelling and chasing after people. In fact, if anyone hired by the company resorts to just screaming “boo!” they won’t last long, Accomando said.

“This really is a large-scale production,” he said. “We call our employees actors and they are conducting elaborate performances.”

It’s not quite suited for very young children and the company likes to say it’s a PG-13 oriented kind of place. But that doesn’t always stop youngsters from coming.

“I’ve seen 11-year-olds come and laugh,” Accomando said. “But I’ve seen 40-year-olds come and crumble.”

Inside a haunt, you’re not just surprised by actors in elaborate makeup. The experience is auditory, the senses are manipulated, lights flash or go out, you will smell and hear things. The designers and artists who build the detailed haunts include animatronics, movie-style special effects and skits performed by actors serious about their craft, Accomando said.

“Usually you enter and you think it’s a safe walk,” Accomando said. “But then things start to happen. Once we have you, you’re done.”

SpookyWorld runs a FAQ on its Web site that includes information about strobe lights, prices and whether there are chainsaws or clowns at SpookyWorld. And yes, there are strobe lights, chainsaws and clowns.

SpookyWorld was born in 1991 and was the brainchild of David Bertolino of Sudbury. He sold the business in 2004. Spooky World is now headquartered at Mel’s Funway Park in Litchfield which becomes Nightmare New England during the fall.

If you want to go, consider going during opening weekend. SpookyWorld offers a 2 for 1 special, which will help save money you’ll end up spending on festival food and trinkets for sale.

Opening weekend will be sometime in September. The actual weekend hadn’t been posted at this time this article was posted, so check out www.terrorinrhodeisland.com for more details as fall approaches.