The Woodward News

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October 3, 2012

‘Nightmare’ offering couple of new attractions

Chris Cooper Woodward News

Woodward, Okla. — Nightmare in the Country, one of Oklahoma's highest rated haunted attractions, will be returning this Friday, Oct. 5 with new and improved attractions.

"I bought some farm land back in 2008 and thought to myself, 'what am I going to do with this land, I’m not a farmer,'" said Kenton Baird, owner of Nightmare in the Country, "so we put together a little haunted attraction on the property for some friends, and it kind of just mushroomed into the event it is today."

Now in it's 4th year, Nightmare includes over a half mile of attractions and 8 haunting locales featuring more than 50 fearsome characters.

"Most haunted houses you pay $15 to $20 and they last about 8 to 15 minutes," Baird said. "Depending on your pace, Nightmare in the Country lasts around 45 minutes to an hour."

The event features a diverse range of attractions, from the abandoned mineshaft to the Killinger Sawmill, a.k.a. the "Kill Mill," and even a ghost town whose population was wiped out by a beast that still lurks somewhere within its abandoned buildings.

In addition to the updates to previous attractions, Nightmare in the Country also features 2 brand new events.

One event is the Z.I. Zombie Infestation in which "a biohazard accident has occurred in northwest Oklahoma, the effects of which are spreading rapidly; effects patrons will experience first hand," Baird said.

The second event is the Pagami Mortuorum, a haunted house plagued with the ghosts of clowns, and is entirely in 3D, he said.

"We've gone all out this year," Baird said. "We've really upped the tech."

Operations at Nightmare have been streamlined as well. Lines are expected to move much faster this year, according the attraction's website nightmareinthecountry.com, as groups of 6 or less will enter about every 5 minutes.

This year's attraction will be dedicated to Baird's father, Robert Baird Jr., who recently passed away from multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells.

"Dad was instrumental to the event," Baird said. "He was a founding cast member and he was crucial to the construction of the ghost town. He taught me how to do this, how to put this all together. Dad was a dreamer, and he taught me to dream."

When asked why people should come, Baird said, "We consider this a grand event, a professional production. This isn't thrown together in a month, we work on this year round."

Nightmare in the Country will take place every Friday and Saturday in October, with additional hauntings on Oct. 18, 25 and of course Halloween Night Oct. 31, continuing through Nov. 4.  Gates will open at 8 p.m. each evening, but the ticket booth will close at different times depending on the date.

Visit nightmareinthecountry.com for more scheduling details as well as more information about the attractions or to purchase advance tickets.

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