By Michael Walsh

The lack of snowfall last winter seems to have caused an uprising of evil inhabitants at Nashoba Valley Ski Area.

Witches, Ghouls, Zombies and Werewolves have taken over the mountain resort and created Witch’s Woods. Throughout the month of October, patrons will trade in their skis and poles for the fright of a lifetime.

Every Thursday-Sunday from September 28th through October 28th, with a big finale on Halloween, come visit ~ if you dare! ~ New England’s premier screampark. Tickets are just $30; for that, you gain access to a veritable fright fest of horrifying attractions.

Start off with a light dinner and some scary concoctions like the Dracatini, then ease your way into things with a visit to the Jack-O-Lantern Jamboree. Here you’ll admire professionally carved pumpkins featuring some of Halloween’s most famously frightening faces.

Still not quite ready to be treated like a young Jamie Lee Curtis? That’s alright, move on to the Horrorwood Chamber of Chills to experience all the thrills and kills of your favorite Halloween films. Enjoy hanging out with Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger, those wild-n-crazy guys.

By now you have wandered deeper into the park and passed the point of no return. The time has come to take your pick of Witch’s Woods Big Four. Start kissing your sanity goodbye by visiting Castle Morbid. Be prepared to be chased through the dark and maze-like halls by the medieval spirits of those long since dead.

Making it out of the Castle is only a minor miracle; what lies ahead is much, much worse.  Enter the Nightmare Mansion and prepare to have your worst fears come to life. The former owner of the house sold his soul to the devil, but in turn allowed his children to live forever. The state of their life, however, was undecided.

If you have made it to this point without passing out, wetting yourself or gouging a hole in your date’s arm, you are one of the braver souls. However, the 3D Keeper’s Crypt is designed to weaken the knees of even the strongest of folk. The living dead have risen and are thirsty for more than Pumpkinhead Ale. They want your flesh and blood. Get out fast before they reach you, but be careful, the walls may be closing in around you…

With thoughts of nothing more than your safe vehicle and locked home in your mind, board the Witch’s Woods Haunted Hayride. The grand finale of your time here, and perhaps on this very earth, brings you back through the demon-infested woods of Nashoba Valley.

You’ll soon find that everything you thought you had escaped is here in the woods to get one final shot at you!

For more information on Witch’s Woods visit www.witchswoods.com.

Photos courtesy of Nashoba Valley Ski Area