MEXICO — The Mexico Recreation Center is upping the ante for their third annual Haunted Walk, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24 and 25 in the basement of the Recreation Center.

Tickets cost $5 at the door, and doors will open at 6 p.m., with walks running from 7 to 10 p.m.

Recreation Center director Wayne Sevigny said that the tickets are sold by time slot.

“Last year, we had an hour and a half wait,” Sevigny said. “We’re selling the tickets by the time slot, so if people want to buy their tickets ahead of time, go get a bite to eat, and then come back later, they can.”

Sevigny said that volunteer Nick Graham has been in charge of organizing and coordinating the Haunted Walk, and that they’re shooting for a “much scarier walk” than in previous years.

“It’s always been scary,” Sevigny said. “We sometimes got people screaming during the walk, and some of the younger kids would come out crying, but this year, we’re definitely stepping it up.”

Sevigny looked around the basement, laughed to himself, and said, “I mean, if you come down in the basement at night, with all of the lights off, it’s pretty scary, and that’s without anything set up.”

Graham said that “the whole walk is getting a facelift.

“I think our goal every year is to improve upon the previous Haunted Walk,” Graham said. “Nobody’s happy just doing the same thing every year. The scares we’re setting up this year are a little more complex, and a little more grand.”

Graham said that he didn’t want to reveal too many of the Haunted Walk’s features, in order to make it as surprising to people as possible.

“I will say that the walk, which will take about 15 minutes, is completely in the basement this year,” Graham said. “Last year, we used all three stories for the walk, and it was a lot more open. This year, it’s only in the basement, but people will walk the same distance they did in previous years. It’ll just be a lot more confined.”

Sevigny said that the number of people who attend the Haunted Walk grows each year.

“The first year we did it, we had around 400 people,” Sevigny said. “Last year was about 600. I think we’re looking to get about 800 people this year. I definitely think it’s possible. Every year, I get more people calling me, telling me it’s the best haunted walk they’ve ever done.”

One idea that Graham said he hopes to integrate into the Haunted Walk is an interview with people after the walk to see what they thought about the event.

“I definitely want to try and get some reaction shots of people getting scared, and then interviewing them after to see what scared them the most,” Graham said. “It’s a good way to see what worked, and I could use the footage to make a preview for next year.”

Graham said that he hopes to be able to do a Haunted Walk for younger children next year.

“We tried setting something up this year, but it just didn’t work out,” Graham said. “The Haunted Walk we’re doing this year would be extremely scary to much younger children, so we want to try to something a little lighter for children next year.”

All proceeds from the Haunted Walk will go towards the River Valley Recreation Center.

For more information, call 364-4912 or 357-3109.

mdaigle@sunjournal.com