CLINTON - It's been said it takes a village to raise a child, but it also might take a village to scare him out of his socks. It seems like the entire city of Clinton gets involved when the chamber of commerce puts on its Haunted House, Terror on Washington Street, every Halloween. | VIDEO: Behind the scenes at local haunted house | Want something spooky to do this weekend? | Trick-or-treat hours for Central Illinois

The annual fright festival, which ends tonight, draws ghouls and goblins from every walk of life. If there is a thread that runs through every volunteer, it's that many had experience in drama or theater before they took up swinging axes or wielding chain saws.

Carolyn Jameson of Clinton is married and has a child and works part time at the chamber. She was involved with the Clinton High School Thespians in the mid-1990s and volunteered at the first five haunted houses.

"It is funny how much it has progressed since then," Jameson said. "We have a following. I was in one of the prison cells one year. I didn't like that. They told us what had happened in the jail. It was kind of creepy, because I'm a chicken."

"I go through it with the lights on and it's still scary," she said.

Steve Meade of Clinton takes the first-year ghouls under his tutelage and tries to impress upon them the importance of living their part.

"Once you get your makeup on, you are in character," Meade said. "You are the character, so you are not who you were when you came.

"People want to go in and be scared. It's our goal to make them scared," he said.

Meade has been volunteering with the chamber for six years. He said the haunted house has had a big impact in the community, providing entertainment for patrons of all ages.

"I like doing stuff for people that they can enjoy," Meade said.

"I mostly like watching the people running out of the building and running two blocks to get away from the chainsaw-wielding maniac," he said. "Those are the people who came to the house with the right mindset."

Tim Followell, 18, of Clinton portrays that chainsaw-wielding maniac. Wearing a butcher's apron and a mask, Followell carries a perfectly harmless but ominous-sounding chain saw.

"I like scaring people, and it's kind of funny how they act. I mostly do it for fun," Followell said.

Rachel Schackmann, 15, of Clinton, returned to volunteer for the second season as a vampire in The Vampire Hall in the basement.

"It's all dark, there are fake rats and it's like a maze," Schackmann said. "I think it's really cool. It's so much fun to scare people."

"I'm normally a real nice person and it's only a couple days a year you can dress up and scare people."

Schackmann is also a member of the Clinton High School Thespians.

"I think the next time I do it I want to be one of the prisoners for the butcher, Schackmann said. "People didn't know if they are real or fake. People had all kinds of reactions."

Jennifer Hair of Hudson spent more than an hour making black zombie eyes on the ghosts and ghouls who volunteer to be in the house.

"It was fun," Hair said. "It's a great group of people to be around."

But she didn't go in.

"I'm a chicken when it comes to haunted houses."

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GO!

What: Terror on Washington Street haunted house

Where: 513 E. Washington St., Clinton

When: 7 to 11 p.m. tonight

Cost: $7.50

Sponsor: Clinton Chamber of Commerce

Phone: (217) 935-3364