Spider Hill

Spider Hill is an annual haunted event held at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe, Illinois to celebrate Halloween. The attractions include a trail, haunted house, and a haunted hayride. It is touted by the organizers as the number one haunted attraction in Central Illinois.[1]

Spider Hill
Spider Hill Logo
LocationChillicothe, Illinois
Coordinates40.533633°N 89.301313°W / 40.533633; -89.301313
ThemeHalloween
Opened1999
Operating seasonFall
WebsiteOfficial website

History

Spider Hill was launched in 1999 by the local Optimist Club and Three Sisters Park and featured three main attractions: The Massacre Mansion, The Haunted Express haunted hayride and The Trail of Terror, which walks visitors through the forest.[2][3] Sponsors of the event remind visitors of the legend of Spider Hill and the event's namesake where 23 individuals died at the site during World War I from venomous spider bites.[4] The event is run entirely by volunteers, starting with 60 in 2000 and increasing to 165 in 2007.[5] Volunteers participate in organized workshops to share scaring techniques.[6] The last attendance figures released were in 2004, when 20,000 visitors went through the various attractions during the October weekends and Halloween night.[6] Event volunteers or actors reveal the biggest screams result from encounters with terrifying clowns, causing a grown man to faint twice in 2003 and another to spit at the circus specter for scaring his girlfriend.[6][7]

Spider Hill went on hiatus in 2020.

Attractions

Massacre Mansion is the haunted house, which encompasses about 8000 square feet. The Trail of Terror is a winding path through the forest featuring scares along the way. The original haunted hayride has been replaced with Zombie Invasion, which is a paintball shooting experience from aboard a "war wagon". In 2012, the operators of Spider Hill bought a haunted house from Cedar Rapids called Nightmare Manor. Its props and scenery were used to double the size of Massacre Mansion.[8]

References
  1. "Spider Hill". 26 July 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
  2. Boswell, John (21 October 1999). "New Haunts: Spider Hill is the Tri-county Area's Newest Halloween Happening". Metro Thursday. Peoria Journal Star. Peoria, Illinois. p. R1.
  3. Hilyard, Scott (31 October 2005). "The fright stuff – A retired railroad worker is the (twisted) brains behind the horrors at Spider Hill". Features. Peoria Journal Star. Peoria, Illinois. p. C6. Access World News. Newsbank. Accessed via Illinois Community College Library system, Illinois Central College: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.library.icc.edu/
  4. Green, Angela (3 October 2003). "Field of Screams". City. Peoria Journal Star. p. A1.
  5. McMenamin, Ed (6 October 2007). "Spider Hill adds new frights – Chillicothe haunted house runs through Halloween". City. Peoria Journal Star. Peoria, Illinois. p. B6. Access World News. Newsbank. Accessed via Illinois Community College Library system, Illinois Central College: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.library.icc.edu/
  6. Towery, Jennifer (13 October 2005). "Tricks of the afraid trade – Spider Hill's haunted attractions scarring some, sharing secrets with others". Neighbors. Peoria Journal Star. Peoria, Illinois. p. R1. Access World News. Newsbank. Accessed via Illinois Community College Library system, Illinois Central College: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.library.icc.edu/
  7. Burke, Brad (4 October 2002). "Web of Gore". City. Peoria Journal Star. Peoria, Illinois. p. B01. Access World News. Newsbank. Accessed via Illinois Community College Library system, Illinois Central College: http://infoweb.newsbank.com.library.icc.edu/
  8. Miller, Justin (October 3, 2012). "Spider Hill opens Friday with updated scares". Chillicothe Times Bulletin. Retrieved September 1, 2017.

Other bibliography
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