Naked And Scared Challenge

For decades, haunted houses have made a killing in the runup to Halloween by frightening visitors with spiders, ghosts, smoke, and other chilling animatronics. But, one spectacle on the East Coast will literally scare the pants off of you this season.

The Naked and Scared Challenge is a new adults-only experience at Shocktoberfest, a 27-acre fear extravaganza located in Sinking Spring, Pa., where visitors are invited to disrobe if they dare.

"I've been a haunter for 22 years. When we started, we could scare people with plastic masks and knives," said Patrick Konopelski, president and owner of Shocktoberfest. "But over the years we've become desensitized. Hydraulics, pneumatics, special effects... everyone's aiming for the scariest haunted house. So when we came up with the idea for people to take the tour naked, I thought 'Wouldn't that be wild!'"

The inspiration for the tour is a case of life imitating art. When Konopelski came home to find his four teenagers tuning in to the series "Naked and Afraid" on the Discovery channel, he said his first reaction was "What in the world are you watching?" But after viewing the show himself, he began wondering how he could emulate the experience at Shocktoberfest.

"People are afraid of being naked," said Konopelski. "And, in a way, it allows us to kind of go back to our roots. Instead of animatronics, now I can scare you with a feather."

In order to take the Naked and Scared Challenge at Shocktoberfest, which opens on Friday, participants must reserve tickets ($20) online beforehand and be at least 18 years old. After choosing the "nude" or "prude" (underwear-only) option, guests are asked to sign waivers before undressing in a communal changing room where all of their possessions are secured inside of a bag. Then, it's time for a clothes-free fright.

To ensure that nothing untoward takes place beneath the dimmed lighting, 12 security guards will be placed throughout the course, no cameras are permitted and visitors may only experience the Unknown Haunted House with the group they purchased tickets with, according to Konopelski.

"If you signed up alone, you will walk through alone," he said. "This isn't a place for strangers to meet. This is strictly the right to go through a haunted house nude so it heightens the experience of fear."

Konopelski acknowledged that there has been some local backlash to the tour from those who assume it will lead to debauchery.

"People have trouble disconnecting nudity from sex," he said. "But this is about being naked and vulnerable."

Whether the experience will haunt you afterward is still unknown.

UPDATE:

Officials in a small Pennsylvania township have told organizers of the "Naked and Scared" haunted house challenge to keep their pants on.

According to Shocktoberfest owner Patrick Konopelski, he has been notified that he is not allowed to have customers participate in a naked walk-through of his haunted house.

"Our local municipality asked us to reevaluate our program," Konopelski told The Huffington Post. "Even though legally we have the right to do it, all the national and international exposure made them uncomfortable and they asked us to reconsider."

Earlier this week, Konopelski told HuffPost he would be offering a "Naked and Scared" tour of his haunted house in Sinking Spring, Pa. The tour was intended to scare people by putting them in a vulnerable position, where they would not be protected by anything.

Konopelski said his inspiration for the nude tour came to him while watching an episode of the Discovery Channel's show "Naked and Afraid," in which two strangers -- a man and a woman -– have to survive in the wilderness naked for 21 days.

The Shocktoberfest team planned to offer the special event to consenting adults, at specific times when regular customers were not present in the park. The customers, not the ghouls, were to be only naked participants.

But now, people won't be able to go through the haunted house in the buff.

"No one is more disappointed than us," Konopelski said. "Our attorneys realize that it is a legal right of ours to have this, but to prove it in a court of law over months and years -- it becomes a moot point pretty fast."

Officials with the Township of Spring did not return a call for comment from HuffPost on Friday.

According to Paranormalpopculture.com, the property Shocktoberfest sits on is part of two municipalities. Township of Spring Manager Jay Vaughan told the website that his municipality was initially under the impression that the nude portion of the event would take place in a building that sits within the Borough. However, when he discovered the nude event was not allowed on Borough grounds and would be held within the Township, he notified Konopelski the event would not be covered under the organizations current permit application.

However, all is not lost.

"Shocktoberfest is still happening with all the attractions, events and all of that, but we're just offering the prude option this year for the 'Naked and Scared' event," Konopelski said.

The "prude option" will allow consenting adults the option of going on the tour in their underwear.

Konopelski said there is a possibility that the "Naked and Scared" event can be held next year -– with full nudity.

"Our township is interested in working with us, so we'll see how it shapes up," he said.

He added, "People had a problem with not what the tour was, but with what they thought it was. It never had anything to do with sex or debauchery. We were trying to create a fun and unique event."

Additional information can be found at Shocktoberfest.com.