Darkside Haunted House in Wading River celebrates 25 years

Screams echo from inside an imposing building that sits alone in a dark field in Wading River. It’s a scene that’s occurred for the past quarter of a century at Darkside Haunted House, which has become a Halloween season tradition on Long Island.

“People come in here to escape the real world for a little bit,” says owner/creator Mike Meola. “Haunted houses have often been compared to roller coasters because you get that adrenaline rush even though you know you are safe. It’s the thrill of surviving it.”

Darkside has endured fads and changes to the local haunt scene for “25 years of fear” because of its unique recipe of detailed set design, freshly creative ideas and a dedicated crew of actors that share an extreme enthusiasm for Halloween.

“The key to a good show is to work with passionate people,” says Meola, 53. “I never set out to be the scariest haunted house. My goal was always to be the most entertaining.”

Growing up in Miller Place, Meola always had a love for Halloween and began building live-action haunts at age 10 in the basement of his parents’ house. “I’d create a walk-through and set up scenes with people jumping out of places,” he says. “I’d get my brothers and sisters to be my live actors. It was my own little creative outlet. After helping his friend’s wife start up her costume shop in Rocky Point in 1997, he got the idea to open his own haunted house.

“It began as a passion project,” says Meola. “I realized there was a market for this because there weren’t many haunts on Long Island at the time.”

DARKSIDE RISES

By 1998, Meola leased an old barn in Wading River and built a 10-room haunt featuring a dungeon, spider room, a jail, a coffin bride scene and a 10 by 12-foot falling wall.

“It was like nothing we heard about or experienced on this side of the Island,” says actor/manager Cathy…