Niles Scream Park opens Friday with special guest

Published 9:32 am Thursday, September 10, 2015

The Niles Scream Park will have a special guest when it opens for the season this weekend.

Visitors will be given the opportunity to meet the actor who played the iconic killer Jason Voorhees in multiple horror movies.

Kane Hodder

Kane Hodder

Kane Hodder, will be in the midway during the Niles Scream Park’s two opening nights, Sept. 11 and 12. He will be available to meet fans and sign autographs.

An actor and stunt man, Hodder has appeared in more than 200 films and television shows during his 30-plus year career. He is the only actor to have portrayed the killer Jason Voorhees in multiple movies. He played Jason in “Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood,” “Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan,” “Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday” and “Jason X.”

Hodder is also known for playing the deformed killer Victor Crowley in the “Hatchet” series.

Tickets to meet Hodder are $10 and can be purchased online at haunted.org or at the park. He will have pictures of himself available and will autograph one for $20 (cash only).

Hodder is also a burn survivor who works with several burn camps and charities. He has teamed up with www.ScaresThatCare.org to raise awareness and educate children and adults about burn safety.

The Niles Scream Park, located at 855 Mayflower Rd., is open from 7 to 11 p.m. this Friday and Saturday. It will be open on Friday and Saturday evenings in September and on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings in October. It will also be open on Thursday, Oct. 29.

A special black-out event, where visitors can brave the park in the dark, is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 7.

The Niles Scream Park offers six different attractions rebuilt each year to offer new scares. The park itself encompasses 44 acres and is considered to be one of the top haunted activities in the country.

In addition to offering entertainment, the park also gives back. It is a non-profit community project that uses 150 to 200 volunteers per year to staff the attractions.

More than $1.4 million has been raised over the last 19 years for local and national causes and scholarships.

For more information, visit the park’s website www.haunted.org or call (269) 687-3327.