As a massive tractor weaves through a narrow passageway near the start of the “Hayride of the Lost” at Wiard’s Night Terrors in Ypsilanti, a beat-up Cadillac hearse comes into view on the outskirts of a pumpkin patch. On the side of the unsettling white vehicle are the words “We’re just dying to thrill you.”

Even though the phrase appears in a relatively isolated location, it serves as a mission statement for the six haunted attractions scattered across the 100-acre farm.

Located just 20 minutes southeast of campus, Night Terrors is the result of many years of hard work, labor and, of course, some dementedly creative minds. What started out as a single haunted barn in 1989 has gradually evolved into a comprehensive “Haunted Thrill Park.”

Krazy Hilda’s Barn of Doom in Saline, on the other hand, is still in its infancy as it embarks on its second year in the scaring business. Housing all of its terrifying entertainment under one roof, the Barn of Doom tries to pack the same punch into a much smaller space.

Regardless of size, however, there's plenty of preparation and planning that goes into the construction, maintenance and operation of a haunted house. Apple orchards, cider mills and corn mazes are all notable autumn pastimes, but none require the set design, costumes, actors, props or visual effects that make haunted houses come alive night after night.

According to Allen Wilson, Wiard's orchard manager and overseer for the many attractions at Night Terrors, the construction of a haunted house begins in a rather simple and unexciting manner.

“We measured the dimensions of the building … and then plotted it out,” he said. “You have to keep in mind the fire codes and the width of your hallways, emergency exits, lighting. So that all went down on paper first.”

Coming up with a name for the attraction and ideas for specific scenes follows. Night Terrors’s theme-based attractions include “The Asylum,” “The Mind Shaft” and “Alien Caged Clowns.” Each event functions as its own haunted house, but with a specific twist.

“A bunch of crazy, crazy people” dressed in orange jumpsuits populate “The Asylum,” according to Wilson. One mentally ill patient acts as the centerpiece as he struggles with a straightjacket while others run around with chainsaws.

The setting for “Mind Shaft” is a collapsed and abandoned mine. TNT explosions and blood-curdling screams greet the scare-seeking visitors.

“Alien Caged Clowns” begins with a "black light-lit vortex tunnel," Wilson said, leading into a room with chain-linked fences and the face-painted, rainbow-haired source of many childhood nightmares.

“A lot of people really can’t handle the whole clown thing, which is one of the reasons why we did it,” Wilson said. “But we kept it scaled back because we wanted people to actually go through it.”

Many consider “Alien Caged Clowns” the most intense attraction at Night Terrors.

After the structural, logistical and conceptual details are all worked out, set decoration commences. The goal: make it feel as real as possible.

“We really want them to feel like they’re in (an) asylum or in a mine shaft,” Wilson said. “All the things that we can make seem more real to give more of that terror effect is what we try and go for.”

Wilson describes this as one of the most gratifying and genuinely fun parts for him, because it allows for substantial hands-on creativity.

Most of the props for Night Terrors are purchased from garage sales, antique shops or secondhand stores. A portion of the set comes from employees, who bring in objects that they otherwise would have thrown away.

Nicole Karbacz, the "Head Witch" at Krazy Hilda’s Barn of Doom, explains that it’s quite the contrary for their homemade attraction.

“Probably 85 percent of what I have is something we’ve put together ourselves,” she said.

For Karbacz, the key component to a haunted house is the live-action performance of its actors.