Fear

October 30, 2019

Haunted house attractions are a popular way to enjoy the Halloween season, from well-lit, kid-friendly walkthroughs to full-contact terror mazes for teens and adults only. But why do we like it? What does it do for us psychologically?

There’s an enthusiastic fanbase around Indiana’s haunted houses, and some fans end up opening their own attractions, or working at them every Halloween season. We talk to a psychiatrist who’s also a horror fan about why some of us love being scared. And we talk to some of the people doing the frightening this year – the owners and staff behind two popular attractions in Indiana.

Produced by Maggie Gelon.

Guests:

Steve Schlozman
Associate Director, Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Paul Cook
Owner, Nightmare on Edgewood

Kevin Cook
Owner, Nightmare on Edgewood

Brittany Pyle
Makeup and Casting Director, Edge of Insanity

Kim Fruth
Actor, Edge of Insanity

Margee Kerr
Sociologist, Author of “Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear”

Kristin Cutler
Director of Communications, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra