If you think watching the stock market rise and fall is scary, you ain't seen nothing yet. This Halloween, there are a host of attractions that vary from mildly creepy to hair raising. Here's a primer on some of the choicest haunts. Tucson Screamers: "The Nightmare"
• Scare factor: Four skulls out of a possible five.
• Address: Breakers Water Park, 8555 W. Tangerine Road, Marana.
• Hours: Open 7-10 p.m. Thursdays-Sundays through Nov. 1. Open until midnight on Oct. 24-25, 31 and Nov. 1.
• Cost: $12 to access one haunted house, $21 for two haunted houses and $24 for all three.
• Kid-friendliness: Under age 10 not permitted without an adult. Rooms feature mature content, like bodies hanging from nooses and people being operated on with power tools.
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• Summary: This is easily the coolest of Tucson's haunted attractions, with three parts. Darke Asylum features a mad doctor who experiments on patients with sleeping disorders and makes their nightmares come to life. Black Voodoo is a New Orleans-style spookfest. The 11th Hour is a 3-D maze for kids. There are also carnival-style games, like the shrunken head toss and medieval ax throw, as well as a target range where you can shoot a werewolf with paintballs.
• For more info, go to www.tucson screamers.com.
Valley of the Moon: "The Haunted Ruins"
• Scare factor: One skull.
• Address: 2544 E. Allen Road.
• Hours: 6:30-9 p.m. today-Saturday, Oct. 23-25, and Oct 28-30.
• Cost: Adults $7; children 7-13 $5; age 6 and under free.
• Kid-friendliness: Safe for all but the littlest tykes.
• Summary: The Wizard Zogog is on a mission to wrestle the golden key to happiness from The Evil One. Along the way a genie is released, witches are encountered, and Dr. Hackenchop performs an operation. The former home of a rabbit-led magic show, Valley of the Moon was built by George Phar Legler in the 1920s and features mineralized rock cliffs, caves, pools and garden miniatures. "Valley of the Zombies" is acted by high school and middle school students.
• Tips: Tonight and Oct. 23 are food-bank nights. Admission for adults who bring two cans of food is $5; $2 for kids who bring two cans of food. Buckelew Farm Haunted Cornfield
• Scare factor: Three skulls.
• Address: 17000 W. Ajo Way.
• Hours: 6:30 p.m.-midnight Fridays-Saturdays through Halloween.
• Cost: $18 for admission to both the Haunted Cornfield and the Corn Maze.
• Kid-friendliness: No children under 12 unless they are accompanied by an adult. There are lots of loud noises and creepy characters. Remember, unlike other haunted houses, this has no side exit. So make sure your little ones can handle it before you take them in.
• Summary: This year's maze (which is actually two mazes) is titled "Field of Screams" and boasts four miles of trail that winds through 11 acres of corn. The separate haunted cornfield uses props and live actors, but the scariest part is the teenagers who flock to the cornfield as if it were a Hot Topic sale.
• Tips: Bring your own flashlight or buy one for $3.
• For more information, go to www.buckelewfarm.com. Old Tucson Studios Nightfall
• Scare factor: Three skulls.
• Address: 201 S. Kinney Road.
• Hours: 6-10 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; 6 p.m.-midnight Fridays-Saturdays through Halloween.
• Cost: $24 for adults; $20 for children 4-11; free for children under 4. Discount coupons at participating Food City and Home Depot stores.
• Kid-friendliness: Some aspects of Nightfall are PG-13 rated, like the Goulliard Gargoyles.
• Summary: Nightfall boasts a number of haunted attractions, including the aforementioned gargoyles, as well as the song-filled "Hyde School Musical" and "Symposium of Atrocities," a magic show run by crazed inmates. "Release the Beast" is a stunt show featuring Dr. Jebediah Hyde, who is cross-mutating humans with desert animals. Stuntmen and women punch, kick and lunge while prerecorded dialogue plays through the sound system. It's like watching a dubbed Kung Fu movie come alive.
Hauntworld magazine named Nightfall No. 10 in its list of the nation's top 10 amusement park Halloween events this year.
• Tips: Old Tucson recommends you buy your tickets online to avoid long waits at the park.
• For more information go to www.nightfallaz.com. Colossal Cave Halloween Howl
• Scare factor: Two skulls.
• Address: 16721 E. Old Spanish Trail, Vail.
• Hours: Candlelight Cave Tours and Haunted Hayrides 6-8:45 p.m.; Halloween Carnival 5-9 p.m. Oct. 23-26.
• Cost: $7 for the cave tour and $7 for the hayride. Age 3 and under get in free.
• Summary: Venture into the depths of the ancient cave by candlelight, while a guide spins ghostly tales. Or enjoy haunted hayrides, hay maze, a jumping castle and pony rides.
• Tips: It costs $1 for cars to enter the park, but you can get in for free if you bring one can of food.
• For more information, call 647-7275 or go to www.colossalcave.com. Tucson Ghost Tours
• Scare Factor: One skull.
• When: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday year-round. On busy nights an additional tour will be added. Reservations required: Call 1-520-432-3308.
• Cost: $13 for adults and $9 for children 12 and under.
• Summary: Your ghost host leads you on a walking tour through Downtown. Hear about a ghost who enjoys watching plays at the Fox Theatre, the glowing apparitions in the Scottish Rite Building, and the many ghosts that have been seen and felt at Hotel Congress.
• Tips: Private tours may be scheduled. Wear good walking shoes. It's OK to bring a bottle of water, a camera and a flashlight.
• For more information, go to www.tucsonghosttour.com.
More frights Sam and Latch's Haunted Halloween
• When: Shows are at 7 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 7, 8 and 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 2.
• Where: Pinnacle Peak at Trail Dust Town, 6541 E. Tanque Verde Road.
• Cost: Free. Donations accepted. Actors pass the hat after the show.
• Summary: A family-friendly stunt show at Pinnacle Peak at Trail Dust Town. Sam and Latch, newly appointed deputies, must face the terrors of Ghost Town while attempting to catch the outlaw "Black Jack" Gruesome.
• Kid-friendliness: Show features slap-stick violence, loud noises and explosion effects.
• More information: 296-4551 or www.traildusttown.com. Zombie Walk and Food Drive
• When: 6-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24.
• Where: Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St.
• Cost: Free with a can of food for the Community Food Bank.
• Summary: First the zombies parade through Downtown, then they return to Club Congress for a costume contest, and the psychobilly jams of The Mission Creeps.
• More information: www.hotel congress.com or 881-1287.