As you walk through the gates leading to the scary attractions, you take in your surroundings. Men and women in clown masks and costumes, bundled up couples and screaming coming from all around you sending shivers down your spine. You ask yourself “Do I really want to be here right now?” There’s no turning back now.  

This year at Field of Screams, things are slightly different. Instead of being surrounded by clown masks, guests were surrounded by face masks. However, COVID-19 has not changed the area too much. There are still large crowds of people and just as many guests going through the attractions. On the other hand, there aren’t as many volunteers to scare the guests. For example, the hayride usually has at least ten people at each stop in your face, but this year there were only one to two people. The other attractions, though, were still just as scary as the years before.  

Nick Knight from Hanover, who is 21-years-old, has been to Field of Screams in the past too. It didn’t feel any different to him, except for the fact that everyone else was wearing masks. He said he might go back to Field of Screams in the future. 

“I don’t think I would come back during a pandemic again, but I would come back,” Knight said.

He wished the actors at Field of Screams were less in your face on the attraction because of the virus. The lines are also very cramped together, not allowing anybody to socially distance themselves from one another. Although Field of Screams has time slots this year for guests to come, it still is just as packed as it always has been. Large groups of kids along with families pack the park. 

Even though there aren’t as many actors and volunteers this year, they still don’t lose their character and spark to scare the guests in and out of the attractions. The pandemic doesn’t stop their costumes from looking good either. A majority of the actors had makeup on from the eyes up, and then a continuation of the makeup on a white mask from the nose down. It’s a very creative alternative, as well as an unexpected one. The makeup was extremely realistic, and it was not noticeable that half of it was on a mask until closer up. The other clowns that don’t wear protective masks wear the usual scary masks that cover their whole head.

If you are planning to attend Field of Screams this spooky season, make sure to wear a mask and stay safe because of this even scarier pandemic.