A lot of aspects go into making a horrifying, yet pleasurable experience at a haunted house. Subtle things can sometimes make or break an experience. Not only do the decorations and subtle nuances need to be spot on, but the people portraying horrifying creatures must be strong actors as well. They have mastered this art at the 3rd Street Asylum located in Bonner Springs.

Although located in a small town, the craftsmen behind 3rd Street Asylum pay strong attention to detail in shaping the haunted house. Each room is based off of a specific fear that people generally have.  In some rooms, sensors cause things to pop out just as people are about to pass them.

“The haunt industry has really evolved. People have become more desensitized from Jason and Freddy Krueger and things like that so we’re working for a more interactive scare. You need to develop the whole thing, the visuals, the smell and the odor to trigger memories in your brain that really set you off,” said 3rd Street Asylum founder Steve Hoffine.

Within each of these rooms, the small details make people’s nightmares come to life. The people at 3rd Street Asylum attempt to engage all senses as people walk through to really make the scare all the more real.

“People are terrified of clowns so to build on that we add music and scents of cotton candy to really add to that fear factor,” Hoffine said.

Although the atmosphere is vital in striking fear into people, the actors are what really bring the experience full circle.

Because of the variation in all of the rooms, the costumes that employees must wear differ in intricacy. For some employees it takes mere moments to get into costume, while for others it can take up to an hour.

“I’m in the clown room so for me to get ready it takes from 30 minutes to an hour,” said 3rd Street Asylum employee Derec Pemberton.

Employees at 3rd Street Asylum not only have to getting into costume, but also into character.

“At this place it’s pretty easy to get into character because all you’ve got to do is walk around and just take in the atmosphere of the haunted house,” said 3rd Street Asylum employee Michael Cox.

For some employees, the aspect of getting into character takes longer than simply getting into costume. They aim to make the customers night both believable and fun, but also terrifying.

“I have two voices I do and I switch back and forth so before I ever start I look in the mirror and practice those voices,” Pemberton said.

By getting into character and being able to scare people effectively, the actors get more pleasure out of their work. This helps to create a more pleasurable experience for the viewer too because the actor works a little harder to scare.

“After you scare the first person, your character just gets more and more in depth and you get further into your role as the night goes on. So by the end of the night you don’t want to stop because you’re on a roll. It really builds,” said 3rd Street Asylum employee Brandon Hoch.

From the reactions of people who have just gone through 3rd Street Asylum, the employees are achieving this and achieving it well.

“I was constantly screaming and my heart is still racing. It was scary,” Bonner Springs Middle School student Olivia May said.

For more information visit regarding ticket prices and directions, visit www.3rdstreetasylum.com.