The Ballards tried to sell the land their mother owned years ago, but without luck because of scary smalltown rumors.

“No one wanted to buy the land, because it was believed to be haunted,” said owner Lee Ballard. “When the creek washed out, some body parts started showing up. It was not very easy to sell, so we kept it and decided to make it into a haunted house.”

Eleven years later, the Ames Haunted Forest is still going strong.

Ballard said the forest has been a large part of his family. While they all have full-time jobs outside the Haunted Forest, the family keeps it running for the fun of it.

“My son was running around with a chainsaw when he was 8,” Ballard said. “Everyone thought it was a midget.”

For the first four years of production, Ballard and his family worked with a professional “hauntmeister” from Dallas, Texas, to create the perfect spooky walk-through.

“Our goal is to be Iowa’s numberone haunted attraction,” Ballard said.

Each year has new events to keep people coming back.

“The things we do change every year,” Ballard said. “About 40 percent changes, and our actors bring 70 percent of the new ideas.”

Most of the 40 actors Ballard employs are ISU students, whom he recruits from many different programs and groups, including the bowling team, Ballroom Dance Club and greek houses.

The job requirements are simple: Ballard seeks actors who want to do it and aren’t involved simply for money. He said about half of them are return actors, and the new ones attend an actor’s orientation at the end of summer.

“We explain what we do, and they come up with ideas for their areas they work in,” he said.

Each night sees its changes as well, so people can come three nights in a row and not see the same show.

Nicholas Schoenfelder, senior in kinesiology and health, who got involved after seeing a flyer posted in his dormitory, is beginning his first year at the Haunted Forest. He had the idea to keep the cemetery section of the walk-through deathly quiet.

“When it comes to scaring people, some of the best things you can do are small,” Schoenfelder said. “When it’s quiet, their minds can wander.”

That leaves them scaring themselves more than anything he does, Schoenfelder said.

“Last weekend, I was following the last group through … and I scared one young lady at least six times, mostly unintentionally,” he said. “One time I was just telling her which way to go and she just started screaming.”

Other actors had ideas of hiding underground and behind trees.

“We have a lot of unique things that no one else has,” Ballard said. “They’re usually freaking out before they ever go in.”

He said this is due partially to the fact that he has people sign waivers when they buy their tickets, stating that he and his workers are not responsible for any medical emergency that may happen.

“We even ask them if they’re organ donors,” Ballard said.