This year marks the 10th anniversary of Field of Screams, Wichita’s premiere haunted attraction. Under the leadership of owner Kip Scott, it has steadily grown in popularity alongside its sister attraction, Isle of Screams, which has been running for the last four years.

“As far as attendance, the National Haunted Attractions Association put us in the top ten percent [in the nation],” Scott said.

Running two popular attractions in conjunction with one another requires an army of dedicated actors and behind-the-scenes crewmembers to come up with innovative ideas.

“We’re constantly preparing throughout the year,” said Scott, who travels with his team to several conventions throughout the year to try new products and gain inspiration.

Manager of Isle of Screams Sean McLemore, who is also a senior at Wichita State, has been known to suit up and gleefully chase customers with chainsaws. Mclemore explained some of the creative choices for this year’s haunts.

“In the past, we’ve done werewolves, but we wanted to open ourselves up a little more, so now we’re doing kind of a dumping ground for the criminally insane,” McLemore said.

Once the locations have been prepped and the themes have been chosen, Scott and McLemore move on to finding dedicated actors to put through their “scare school.” It’s worth noting that Field of Screams is the only haunted attraction in the area that doesn’t accept volunteers. The scare school involves performance movement classes, as well as lessons on make-up and design, all taught by faculty from the Wichita State Theatre department.

“We demand a lot from our actors,” Scott said. “We’re trying to weed out the people who would not do well in a high intensity environment. We have a very high retention rate.”

Once the actors make it through scare school, they are given quite a bit of creative control over their characters. Local actor Bryan Archer has been with the attraction for eight years, and he originated his role as the psychotic butcher.

“To get in the zone, I try to contemplate on what the butcher would actually do,” he said. “I get quiet and stalk people.”

Such intensity among the actors can lead to some pretty tense moments, as theater student and haunted house worker Allison Schultz explained. She has been with the attraction for four years, and portrayed deranged, murderous family member Mama Spurlock this year.

“I’ve been punched a couple time,” she said. “Last year, I had a six-foot guy on the ground begging me to stop and asking me what the hell was wrong with me, but you just [have to] push through all that.”

Reflecting on her time as an actress with the attraction, Schultz, who recently completed a stint with Disney’s College Program, said she was excited to see how far it had come.

“We broke our record this year,” Schulz said. “It just gets bigger and bigger, and it’s awesome to be a part of that.”

The Isle of Screams has already wrapped up for the year, but Field of Screams will continue to run through this weekend. Tickets can be purchased online at www.scaryprairiepines.com.