WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. -- When the crisp cool air of October settles in and the falling leaves cover the land, Halloween is right around the corner.

For those that enjoy the fun and creativity of the holiday, this time of year holds several meanings for various groups of people.

For trick-or-treaters, this time of year means their sweet tooth cravings will soon be satisfied, while for parents, it means they need to stock up on candy and treats for the little visitors.

However, for one group of dedicated volunteers it means only one thing, that it is once again time to haunt Whiteman!

For the fifth consecutive year, in what has become one of the most anticipated events of the fall season, the House of Nightmares crew will once again scare the yell out of all those who are brave enough to enter the haunted house.

"We are extremely proud of our stats over the last five years," said Master Sgt. Sam Stoecklin, the haunted house producer. "To date, the haunt crew has scared more than 2,270 people and in the process donated more than $2,400 and 2,100 pounds of donated food items for the Whiteman First Sergeants and their Operation Warmheart program.

"This program places food on the tables of our own Whiteman community. While those numbers are impressive, the crew is also proud of at least one other stat over the last four years," he said. "Notably, that 115 people have fled the house in terror before they could reach the end of their journey. This is a testament to the crew's determination to provide a good scare to all those making their way through the attraction."

The first sergeants have once again graciously donated bottled water for the actors this year as they pour their heart and souls into their acting roles during the nights of operation.

Even though House of Nightmares is not a high-dollar haunted attraction with paid actors like those found in the big cities, it should not be mistaken for a cheesy haunted house.

In fact, the scares are just as good if not better because the house is staffed with more than 35 live actors verses less than enthusiastic workers and poorly timed props. The actors all feel good about volunteering their time and effort for such a great cause.

"Everyone involved with the haunt project is just eager to do their part in scaring up big donations," Sergeant Stoecklin said. "This allows them to really get into their haunter role.

He went on to say, "often times people mistake the House of Nightmares for something they believe is not going to be scary and once their journey begins they quickly learn that a lot of time and effort is put into the attraction and it is indeed worth the price of admission."

Compared to the big-city attractions charging each person upwards of $30 per person, admission to the House of Nightmares is quite reasonable at $3 per person. Another form of admission is by donating a reasonable amount of Thanksgiving-themed food items such as canned goods, turkey tins, stuffing, baking items and just about anything else that could contribute to a wonderful holiday meal.

There are two haunted attractions awaiting the patrons this year. The ticket office is located in house 701; from this area, the haunted will enter the Maze of Confusion in house 703. Senior Airman Joshua Waite, 509th Maintenance Operations Squadron and Staff Sergeant Rachel Ruminski, 509th Maintenance Squadron, both long-time directors of the annual House of Nightmares, designed the Maze of Confusion.

The maze features many confusing doors, twists, and turns throughout the house. They have contributed a great number of man-hours towards making the attraction fun for all who enter.

Once the patrons complete the maze they will make their way to the Asylum of the Doomed, the local sanitarium where something has gone terribly wrong.

The asylum patients have apparently taken over operations from the staff and are holding many of them hostage and running amuck within the walls of the building.

If this is not bad enough, several of the patients believe they are figures from the past. Not just any figures though, we are talking about infamous people from history in myth and legend including Anne Boleyn, Jack the Ripper and Bloody Mary.

Some of the patients have even assumed the identities of movie characters from such films as Children of the Corn, Psycho, Carrie, The Wolf Man, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Night of the Living Dead. You never know who you might bump into while traversing the darkened hallways of each of the attractions.

The themed house is right next door to the maze house in units 705 and 707. The asylum haunt features traditional scare tactics as well as the asylum theme and consists of more than 30 actors and many scare areas interspersed with all sorts of surprises in between. Patrons will not recognize they are in an old base housing unit once their journey begins.

Once the crew successfully passes its final safety and fire inspections, they will meet one final time before opening night to do a mock run through of the attraction. This gives the volunteer staff a chance to show the producer and directors how their scare tactics will take place.

This is done to provide advice to the volunteers in order to make the house come to life and to ensure that all lighting and sound effects are in place and operating properly.
Work on the attractions started in late August and has been non-stop ever since and the crew is looking forward to opening night and seeing all their hard work justly rewarded with scared patrons.

The volunteers are also eager to do their part in taking care of members of the Whiteman family while having a great time along the way.

"We want all of the patrons to have a safe and fun journey through the maze and asylum," Sergeant Stoecklin said. "In the end, based upon the feedback the crew receives and how many donations they take in, they will know whether the House of Nightmares V has lived up to its legacy."

Patrons making their way to the attractions are urged to use extreme caution when travelling around the area and are asked to not block any streets while parking. The small parking lot at the north end of Skelton Park near the lake dam is just a short walk across the street from the attraction.

This year, the annual charity event takes place on four straight evenings from Oct. 22 - 25. The haunting begins at 6:30 p.m. nightly and runs until the haunted are no longer dying to get in to see what greets them.

This year's location is 701/703 and 705/707 Post Drive, just behind the north side of Skelton Park in the old base housing area near the water tower. House of Nightmares V, Maze of Confusion and Asylum of the Doomed is geared toward patrons who are twelve years of age and older, the attraction is not recommended for small children.