Scream-A-Geddon returns to Dade City for backwoods scares

DADE CITY — With creepy clowns, monsters who can grab you and paintball, Scream-A-Geddon returns to the woods of Dade City to terrify the populace for its eighth year.

Anxiety builds early as visitors head to the remote Pasco County location to find a dimly lit, confusing road to the entrance. The 20-acre spread has five haunted houses with themes like a locked-down asylum, a church of the occult and a prison riot.

You’ll find scare actors roaming the grounds, including fan-favorite Bonzo the Clown. They are likely to pop up on the Monster Midway, a hub for food, drinks and games that has been upgraded this year with a beer garden and food trucks including Vato’s Tacos, Slices & Co. and Oh My Grill!

For an added fee starting at $11.95, you can fight back in the Zombie Paintball Assault.

Scream-A-Geddon is unusual in that it allows guests over 18 to “mark” themselves to opt in for a full interactive experience where they can be grabbed, sent into hidden rooms or even detained. “They are given a glow necklace indicating that scare actors are able to bring them into the storyline while going through the attraction,” organizers advise.

If you go

Scream-A-Geddon: The scare park set on 20 acres in the backwoods of Pasco County has five haunted houses, Zombie Paintball Assault and a Monster Midway with food and games.

Admission: $29.95-$50.95; $15 for parking. Tickets grant access to all attractions and mazes except the Zombie Paintball Assault, which starts at $11.95. 27839 Saint Joe Road. Open 7 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday through Oct. 31. Save $5 ordering tickets online at screamageddon.com.