'The Woods of Lost Souls' hopes to scare visitors to Columbia Township forest while giving back to community

COLUMBIA TWP. — As the sun began to set on a swath of dark trees in Columbia Township, static and screams filled the air. The inaugural season for the Woods of Lost Souls kicked off earlier this month, with its ghouls, creatures and characters inspired by classic horror movies, real-life fears and its founder's own paranormal experience. Scott Riley, who splits his time between Columbia Township and Gilbert, Arizona, purchased the 10-acre lot on Royalton Road with plans to remodel the home there for his parents. He had tried to figure out how to make use of the densely wooded acreage for some time. "Originally it was paintball, I thought dirt bikes and then I was like, you know what, I love Halloween and with everything weird happening it just fell into line," Riley said. A fan of Halloween himself, Riley noted many of Ohio's myriad haunted houses had a lot of the same scares and other attractions, he said, and he wanted to do something different. It wasn't until he and his crew with Bloom Tree Removal had their own paranormal experience in Wakeman that the idea for the Columbia Township attraction took shape. About a year ago Riley was working with the logging company when a fallen tree moved and pinned his leg, he said. Walking through the forest, he still sported a slight limp from the altercation. He said several of the crew complained of disembodied voices, sinister laughter and an eerie feeling on the job site while others reported seeing a woman dressed in white walk through the area and their equipment suddenly malfunctioned. "It was terrifying," Riley said, noting that when his leg was pinned, the log already was down and shifted suddenly. While Riley called for help, a sinister voice cackled, he said. Two days later, Riley and his crew pulled out of the job, he said. The woman in white appeared in his nephew's dreams, he said, as a bride searching for her murdered husband. Now, the ethereal woman who haunted Riley is the centerpiece of the Woods of Lost Souls, joined by scenes of spiders, bloodthirsty hillbillies, clowns, witches and other monsters on the 35-to-40-minute scare. Riley, alongside Daniel Allen, who previously operated the Frostville Haunted Trail in North Olmsted; Director of Operations Chriss Levandusky; and a host of other actors and designers outfitted the trail with lights and scares. The trail has been in the works since July. "The purpose for doing this is yes, to give smiles to people but also to give back to the community," Riley said. "I love Columbia Township, I've been here since I was 12 years old and we want to give back to the people who are struggling." He plans to donate a portion of each week's proceeds to a different cause, including veterans organizations, Columbia Schools and individuals in need. Nominations are open to beneficiaries of the events proceeds on The Woods of Lost Souls' Facebook page. Mariah Gaston, of Cleveland, is one of the event's actors. Her character, inspired by 2002 film "The Ring" is accompanied by the sounds of television static and can be found crawling after patrons. This is her first time acting in a horror attraction, she said. The Woods of Lost Souls opened last weekend, and after ironing out the kinks of lighting, smoke machines and other effects, she expected the rest of the month to proceed smoothly. "Come out, take a walk in the woods, have fun and get scared," Gaston said. The Woods of Lost Souls, 26224 Royalton Road, is a reservation-only scare. Tickets start at $30 per person or $15 for children 10-14. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.thewoodsoflostsouls.com, call (440) 553-9664 or email thewoodsoflostsouls@gmail.com. It is open 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday and Sunday and 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Nov. 2. Overflow parking is available at the nearby Huntington Bank branch and Columbia Township airport. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.