Haunted attraction in Greater Sudbury, Ont., looks to top itself

Every October Robby Lavoie scares crowds with his extravagant haunted house attractions.

For 15 years, Lavoie and his business, Northern Screams Attractions, have taken over part of Blezard Valley, located in Greater Sudbury, Ont., for the Fields of Fear attraction.

Lavoie said each year he and his team update the attraction with new elements. They are in constant competition with themselves to top what they've done in the past.

"Our big show here in Sudbury is Hostel," he said.

"Basically I'm visiting an old hostel, so backpackers come to visit and they never ever get to leave."

The new attraction has taken over a community centre and takes visitors through a morbid maze of rooms with actors and new special effects to build on the creepy atmosphere.

"We have these cool new screens that we got that do some light up effects on them and then we brought in other visual effects. We got a new vibrating floor that we've incorporated into our attraction," Lavoie said.

Lavoie said he and his team build most of the props from scratch, but they also modify some items they order from suppliers across North America.

"It might be a dummy that has nothing done to it, no effects, no nothing on it. And we gore it up. We give it the movie magic that it needs for the scene," he said.

Lavoie said he's always looking for new ways to scare people.

"I think everybody has fear in them. It's just a question of what it is and for us, our job is trying to find it," he said.

"Some people are scared of clowns. That's very simple. Other people, it's not that easy and it's the little things and it's very unique."

The Fields of Fear Attraction, which includes the new Hostel, runs until Oct. 30.