Just for the thrill and chill of it

Thousands make pilgrimage to haunted Halloween forest

Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2005

Click here to enlarge this photo Rachael Golden⁄The Gazette They know it’s not real, but Danielle Merida (back) and Kelly Van Assche, both of McLean, Va., can’t help their scared reactions during a visit to Markoff’s Haunted Forest Friday. Click here to enlarge this photo Rachael Golden⁄The Gazette Splashed with fake blood, Matt Markoff, one of three brothers who operate Markoff's Haunted Forest, emcees activities at the scare attraction Friday night. The annual Halloween haunt is in its 12th year of operation.

The seasonal haunt in Dickerson was named the fourth best scare attraction in the nation by American Online’s City Guide this year. Organizers estimate more than 12,000 people will visit the site this year.

The haunted hike, which takes about 20 minutes and snakes through the woods, features tunnels, scarecrows, skeletons and costumed workers with one goal – to scare all those who dare enter their forest. The trek is so intense that many people have questioned whether there should be an age restriction to enter.

‘‘It’s just non-stop being scared,‘‘ said Alex Hambrick of Leesburg, Va., after her walk through the forest Friday night. ‘‘... And then the whole time there are people following you.”

While scores of people took their turns in the forest Friday, others gathered around bonfires to keep warm. The scene outside the forest includes a mini-carnival and other festive activities.

Alex Markoff owns the attraction and has been running it with his brothers Nick and Matt for the past 14 years. In the beginning, people would wait as long as three hours to enter the forest, he said. Eventually, they came up with the idea of entertaining people while they wait.

‘‘Matt came up with idea of putting on a couple bonfires, having a couple fun events – like the hayride and the haunted bus,” Alex Markoff said. ‘‘Every year we change it up a bit, and every week it changes.”

On Friday children sat down to have their faces painted in one of the tents that circled the waiting area. The farmer’s market sold funnel cakes, candy apples, caramel popcorn and honey. There was even a deejay on hand.

‘‘It’s not just the attraction, it’s all the other stuff they have along with it,” said Mike Saunders, 42, of Bowie after braving his way through the wooded haunt. ‘‘The bonfire is nice. You can wait around and you’ve got hot cider and the funnel cake.”

But when it comes to the main event, Saunders agreed with some cautions that children not be taken into the haunted forest.

For a good scare Markoff’s Haunted Forest is open from 6:30-9 p.m. on weekdays and 6:30-10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday on the following dates: Oct. 20-22 Oct. 25-31 Halloween is the last night. Cost is $15 per person on weekdnights and $20 on weekends. Come prepared with cash; credit cards are not accepted. Markoff’s Haunted Forest is located at 19120 Martinsburg Road, Dickerson. Call 301-216-1248 or visit the Web site at www.calleva.org for details.

‘‘I don’t know if I would bring a real little kid, they would be scared to death,” said Saunders, who works for the University of Maryland Police Department.

Even the owner has a hard time with the question.

‘‘It’s really hard for us to answer,” said Alex Markoff. ‘‘We don’t want kids to come out and get traumatized.” He said if the trail walk is too scary for some, then they should stick to the hayride or the pony rides.

Bobby Gollan has been working at Markoff’s Haunted Forest for the past seven years. He is responsible for the lights, smoke, fog and candles found along the trail.

‘‘It depends on what the child has been exposed to,” Gollan said. ‘‘Some kids are just tough, they laugh at it.”

But Gollan said that sometimes children are affected and workers have to get them off the trail quickly. There are shortcuts for a speedy exit from the forest, he said.

There is one thing that many people visiting the attraction could agree on – the forest can be truly frightening and fun at the same time.

‘‘It’s one of those things that you can’t believe your getting paid for,” said Gollan, 24. ‘‘Basically you would do it for free.”

Markoff gives credit to the entire staff and management team for running the event and coming up with fresh ideas. The attraction is in its 12th year of operation.

‘‘We try to squeeze out our creative energy and come out with some fun, different visual and shocking scares,” Markoff said.

‘‘I come here every year,” said Sarah Lynch, a student at Frederick Community College. ‘‘I think it’s awesome. They do change it every year and it’s still always fun even though you know what’s coming.”

For Markoff, the concept of the haunted forest automatically makes it unique because most people are used to the concept of the haunted house.

‘‘If you’re bored in the woods scaring people then you’re not doing your job,” Markoff said. ‘‘If you are having fun, then you’re scaring the pants off people.”

It costs $15 or $20 per person to enter the forest, depending on the night. A portion of the proceeds from the event help provide scholarships for students to attend Camp Calleva, an outdoor adventure camp for youngsters which is operated by Calleva Outdoors in Dickerson, a business owned by the by the Markoff brothers.

People may never look at a walk through the woods the same way again after a trek through Markoff’s Haunted Forest – a perennial favorite in the area’s Halloween attractions.

The seasonal haunt in Dickerson was named the fourth best scare attraction in the nation by American Online’s City Guide this year. Organizers estimate more than 12,000 people will visit the site this year.

The haunted hike, which takes about 20 minutes and snakes through the woods, features tunnels, scarecrows, skeletons and costumed workers with one goal – to scare all those who dare enter their forest. The trek is so intense that many people have questioned whether there should be an age restriction to enter.

‘‘It’s just non-stop being scared,‘‘ said Alex Hambrick of Leesburg, Va., after her walk through the forest Friday night. ‘‘... And then the whole time there are people following you.”

While scores of people took their turns in the forest Friday, others gathered around bonfires to keep warm. The scene outside the forest includes a mini-carnival and other festive activities.

Alex Markoff owns the attraction and has been running it with his brothers Nick and Matt for the past 14 years. In the beginning, people would wait as long as three hours to enter the forest, he said. Eventually, they came up with the idea of entertaining people while they wait.

‘‘Matt came up with idea of putting on a couple bonfires, having a couple fun events – like the hayride and the haunted bus,” Alex Markoff said. ‘‘Every year we change it up a bit, and every week it changes.”

On Friday children sat down to have their faces painted in one of the tents that circled the waiting area. The farmer’s market sold funnel cakes, candy apples, caramel popcorn and honey. There was even a deejay on hand.

‘‘It’s not just the attraction, it’s all the other stuff they have along with it,” said Mike Saunders, 42, of Bowie after braving his way through the wooded haunt. ‘‘The bonfire is nice. You can wait around and you’ve got hot cider and the funnel cake.”

But when it comes to the main event, Saunders agreed with some cautions that children not be taken into the haunted forest.

‘‘I don’t know if I would bring a real little kid, they would be scared to death,” said Saunders, who works for the University of Maryland Police Department.

Even the owner has a hard time with the question.

‘‘It’s really hard for us to answer,” said Alex Markoff. ‘‘We don’t want kids to come out and get traumatized.” He said if the trail walk is too scary for some, then they should stick to the hayride or the pony rides.

Bobby Gollan has been working at Markoff’s Haunted Forest for the past seven years. He is responsible for the lights, smoke, fog and candles found along the trail.

‘‘It depends on what the child has been exposed to,” Gollan said. ‘‘Some kids are just tough, they laugh at it.”

But Gollan said that sometimes children are affected and workers have to get them off the trail quickly. There are shortcuts for a speedy exit from the forest, he said.

There is one thing that many people visiting the attraction could agree on – the forest can be truly frightening and fun at the same time.

‘‘It’s one of those things that you can’t believe your getting paid for,” said Gollan, 24. ‘‘Basically you would do it for free.”

Markoff gives credit to the entire staff and management team for running the event and coming up with fresh ideas. The attraction is in its 12th year of operation.

‘‘We try to squeeze out our creative energy and come out with some fun, different visual and shocking scares,” Markoff said.

‘‘I come here every year,” said Sarah Lynch, a student at Frederick Community College. ‘‘I think it’s awesome. They do change it every year and it’s still always fun even though you know what’s coming.”

For Markoff, the concept of the haunted forest automatically makes it unique because most people are used to the concept of the haunted house.

‘‘If you’re bored in the woods scaring people then you’re not doing your job,” Markoff said. ‘‘If you are having fun, then you’re scaring the pants off people.”

It costs $15 or $20 per person to enter the forest, depending on the night. A portion of the proceeds from the event help provide scholarships for students to attend Camp Calleva, an outdoor adventure camp for youngsters which is operated by Calleva Outdoors in Dickerson, a business owned by the by the Markoff brothers.