What would you give to get scared out of your noggin this Halloween? Your bloody right eyeball, perhaps? How about a ghoulishly terrifying amount of gas money?

If you want to venture away from your neighborhood haunted houses and corn mazes, there are plenty of options. Find a few in "Creepy Crawls: A Horror Fiend's Travel Guide," along with "Haunted Hikes: Spine-Tingling Tales and Trails from North America's National Parks."

Here's a snapshot:

___

EDGAR ALLAN POE HOUSE & MUSEUM

WHERE: Baltimore, Md.

http://www.ci.baltimore.md.us/government/historic/poehouse.html

FRIGHT FACTOR

The poet and fiction writer lived in the house for part of his life and is thought to have penned some of his macabre tales from the single, claustrophobic bedroom on the third floor.

The museum includes mementos related to Poe, like illustrations that accompanied an 1884 edition of "The Raven," his most famous poem, and bottles of cognac collected over the years from the mysterious "Poe Toaster." Every year since 1949, on Jan. 19, an unidentified figure has been sneaking out during the middle of the night to leave three red roses and a bottle of cognac on Poe's grave, marking the day of his death.

___

MAMMOTH CAVE NATIONAL PARK

WHERE: Park City, Ky.

http://www.nps.gov/maca/

FRIGHT FACTOR

The Violet City Lantern Tour, which guides visitors through the cave with kerosine lamps instead of flashlights, winds through a labyrinth that tourists have tread for the last 150 years.

Ghost sightings abound, all related to the "consumptive huts" that used to be places for tuberculosis patients to supposedly heal -- but more often than not, die.

Dr. John Croghan owned the cave in the mid-1800s, and he believed the 54-degree temperatures could cure consumption. A lot of the victims of Croghan's odd medical prescription were buried in the cave.

___

BETTS BOOKSTORE

WHERE: Bangor, Maine

http://www.bettsbooks.com/

FRIGHT FACTOR

This independently run bookstore, the oldest one in town, is a nod to world-famous fright writer Stephen King, who is from these parts.

The shelves are packed with various editions and other kitsch related to the local literary and giant. The collection includes a black leather-bound, gilt-paged edition of King's 1978 novel "The Stand," about a rapidly mutating virus that spreads through the world.

Also in Bangor is Mount Hope Cemetery, where they filmed part of "Pet Cemetery," adapted from King's 1983 novel.

___

LAKE CRESCENT AT MOUNT OLYMPUS

WHERE: Olympic National Park, Wash.

http://www.nps.gov/olym/

FRIGHT FACTOR

This body of water, created by glaciers from Mount Olympus, has long been known to be slow to give up its dead. The Klallam Indians refused to fish the water, which reaches depths of 600 feet in spots, because they were sure evil spirits lurked beneath the surface.

One ranger recalls a time when a dad went in after an inner tube his son had lost in the wind. The dad chased the wayward inner tube into deeper and deeper waters until he was sucked under, never to be seen again.

What WAS seen, however, were strange, unidentifiable oblong depressions appearing in a staggered pattern on the sea's floor. The marks remain a mystery.

___

BAGDAD CEMETERY

WHERE: Leander, Texas

http://www.city-data.com/city/Leander-Texas.html

FRIGHT FACTOR

It's where the 1974 horror flick "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" was filmed. To rev up for the prequel out now, you can pay homage to its inspiration.

In this cemetery, Chainsaw's classic villain, Leatherface, practiced his "ghastly necro-erotic artistry," says "Creepy Crawls" author Leon Marcelo. At nearby Ryan's Hills Prairie Grocery, in Bastrop, you can see where the cannibalistic cinema psycho served up human meat.

___

Hillary Rhodes is an asap reporter.

Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register.