CHUCKATUCK

– On Thursday evening, a group of curious, cautious people ventured into a house near the intersection of Godwin Boulevard and Kings Highway.

About 10 minutes later, they’d been transformed into terrified, breathless, wide-eyed, shaking, shivering, panicked youths.

Fortunately, they could laugh about it. They’d only been the first victims of the Spooky Acres Haunted House, which kicked off its 11th year of scaring Suffolk’s residents.

&uot;I’m going to have nightmares!&uot; stammered Megan Morris, 20, after screaming her way through the nefarious land of corpses come to life, evil morticians, and about every monster known to humankind. &uot;I’ve been there before, but it’s just as scary. I expected the same stuff, but it was kind of different.&uot;

Nearby, her friend Kim Shelton tried to catch her breath.

&uot;I was sweating,&uot; she said. &uot;I came here a couple of years ago, and it was good then, but it’s better now.&uot;

For more than a decade, Paige Barton and her husband Darren have borrowed the large, 200-year-old house from Ronnie Kelly, owner of Kelly’s Nursery, to turn it into a house of terror as Halloween approaches. About 45 people from around the area come to help them scare the &uot;yell&uot; out of unsuspecting visitors, as the sign outside the house proudly proclaims.

&uot;I’m scared of clowns, but I play one,&uot; said J.D. Pope, who pops out of a trapdoor to give customers an extra scare. &uot;I love scaring people. I just hope they scream and run like hell.&uot;

Randy Forehand, an eight-year veteran of the house, gave up his last year of trick-or-treating to do some terrifying.

&uot;This blows trick-or-treating out of the water,&uot; he said. &uot;I like hearing people scream more than I like eating candy.&uot;

Only 12, Taylor Keever is ready to do some frightening for the first time.

&uot;I heard that it was cool to do,&uot; she said after the first group of temporary occupants came through. &uot;It was kind of funny because the people were so scared. I was nervous, because I didn’t know what I’d do at first.&uot;

But even more &uot;scarifying&uot; than the creatures lurking throughout the domain is the pitch-black maze at the end, Paige said.

&uot;One of the main things that people are afraid of is the dark,&uot; she said. &uot;Being in the maze, nobody wants to move because they’re afraid of the unknown.&uot;

The chilling charms worked on Mike Keelman.

&uot;I’ve been to a lot of haunted houses, but this was the best one,&uot; he said after finding a way through the house. &uot;They put a lot of effort into it.&uot;

The house is open from 7-10 p.m. (but doesn’t close until everyone in line has gone through) tonight and Oct. 26-31. It is located at 6019 Godwin Blvd.) in Chuckatuck.