by Nathan Boddy
To see the enthusiastic smile on Sandy Kirkland’s face, you wouldn’t expect that her efforts will shortly result in panic, screams of terror, and the occasional tear. But within the confines of the Field of Screams on Friday, October 11th, Kirkland spoke through a bullhorn at a throng of zombies, ghouls, and deformed clowns, and the vibe was nothing short of jubilant.
“We have awesome weather!” She calls out, clearly in reference to a sustained wind and rain that had complicated the operation of the venue one week prior. The sun’s last light was fading above the Bitterroots and the crowd she spoke to cackled and roared, with anticipation.
“Clowns, do you guys have your silly string?”
Kirkland ran through a few last thoughts, announcing the winners of last week’s ‘scare contest’ and thanking others for bringing carved pumpkins. The members of the ‘Scream Team,’ already embodying their characters, let out a cheer (roar/moan/howl) of joy when Kirkland announced that she’d be moving through the haunted maze during the evening, doling out candy to “energize” the haunted horde.
After her talk, she instructed them to swarm in an event known as the ‘Extravaganza,’ when the Scream Team is released to enter the front gate of the Field of Screams. For the next five or ten minutes, the entry courtyard becomes a circus of haphazard leaping, feet dragging, growls and the rumble of chainsaws. And just as quickly, the menagerie disappears into the corn to wait for visitors to come to them.
The Field of Screams Montana is celebrating its 25th year and still going strong. The Kirkland family has operated the attraction, rated as one of the nation’s top haunted attractions by the Haunted Attraction Association, since converting it from a more benign corn maze into the blood pumping fear factory that it is now.
Quinn Kirkland says that they’ve got a great crew working for them this year, with some of the performers bringing their experience from working in other venues across the country. And despite the smoke still hanging in the valley, Quinn is likely relieved that there hasn’t been a repeat of the early snow that doused the Field of Screams in 2023.
“That was sad,” he said, noting that they’d never had to shovel the pathways in the venue before. Nonetheless, he said many people were able to reschedule their entry times, and the performers had a great time. “It was a totally different look,” he said, noting the reflective white giving a whole new dynamic to fear.
Quinn and Sandy’s son, Ethan, said that he enjoyed working in the snow since it gave him an opportunity for his character to move in new and scary ways. Ethan has grown up with the venue being a big part of his personal experience, and according to Quinn, is taking charge of a lot of it. “He’s the reason I didn’t have much of a summer,” laughed Quinn.
Ethan recalled his first acting job on the grounds when he was six or seven. His parents wanted to keep him safe in the darkness of the event, and so did what caring parents would do: put him alongside his older brother, Corbin.
“We were in the junkyard,” recalls Ethan with a smile. “We were also under this grate.” The expanded metal grate was above a ditch, requiring visitors to walk over a monstrous set of boys who growled and hammered away from below.
“They wanted to keep me safe because I was really young,” said Ethan, but added that he could barely wait to set off on his own to scare. He also spent several years inhabiting the notorious Chucky Doll costume, but now gives life to a sinister character named Vermin.
Ethan and Sandy are in charge of training the Scream Team members, which does involve a lot more than scaring. Ethan said, “One thing that we like to teach our employees is that you don’t just have to scare them,” and that making folks laugh is always a winner.
Ethan then mentioned another technique he likes to use on visitors, one that made his dad cringe.
“I like to gross them out,” he said.
And, the science backs him up. Mathias Clasen, an associate professor in literature and media at Aarhus University in Denmark, has spent his career studying, ‘Recreational Fear’ and is the Director of the Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus, a research unit dedicated to the scientific study of recreational fear and horror. Clasen has written multiple books on recreational fear, and even gave a TedX Talk at the Aarhus University in September of 2017.
In his talk, Clasen asks why people would choose to engage with horror movies, books and haunted attractions when it is a genre that is, “by definition designed to make its audience feel bad,” and can inspire negative emotions such as disgust, dread, and fear.
The reason, he says, is that human beings evolved in a world full of dangers and threats. In response, humans developed what he calls, “The Evolved Fear System,” with which humankind has kept themselves alert, and therefore, alive.
“In other words,” said Clasen, “our species evolved to be hyper vigilant and highly fearful.”
During his talk, a zombie walks on stage behind him, staggering, blood covered and wearing a sick and vacant expression. Clasen said that even children can instinctually recognize the double threat represented by a zombie.
“It combines the fear of predation with our fear of contagion,” he said. “I mean, look at the poor creature.”
In a fascinating analogy, Clasen compares the act of subjecting ourselves to recreational fear to that of taking your car to the mechanic for a tuneup. Calibrating emergency brakes or airbags, which we hope we never have to use, keeps them in tip-top shape just in case.
“Through exposure to horror,” he said, “you give (The Evolved Fear System) a test run to make sure it runs properly and keep it nicely tuned. It lets us learn how to deal with negative emotions.”
Just south of Victor in the darkened courtyard at the Field of Screams, Liz Cook is in her third year on the job. Her position is to give visitors their last minute instructions before ushering them through the door and into the attraction.
“I see tears and I see people who are super excited,” she said, mentioning all the folks who come from across the country for a visit, including one couple last year who came down from Canada for their anniversary.
Cook, like the entertainers who work the courtyard near the entrance, is always looking out for people whose reactions within the venue could be problematic in any way. Some folks identify themselves as a potential danger due to their potentially physical reaction to jump scares. Others are already in panic mode before approaching the entry.
“I try to read the people,” said Cook. “If they need reassurance, I’ll give it to them, tell them it’ll be fine, that nothing’s real.”
Cook also says that she can usually tell who’s sincerely nervous. “They’re the ones who are talking the most.”
Ultimately, those who are brave enough to enjoy a tuneup to their Evolved Fear System, should take a dark stroll through the field, feeling their body prepare for fight or flight. As you hear the screams around you, or even scream yourself, be reminded that you are engaging in ancient and innate human communication.
“A scream,” said Mathias Clasen, “tells others to come and help or get the hell out of the way.”
Field of Screams Montana is located at 1497 Highway 93, four and half miles south of Victor. For tickets, dates and times, got to their website at: https://fieldofscreamsmt.com/