FALLSBURG — Murderous acts and extreme violence are working well for the quiet campground community of Fallsburg, where a haunted house is providing local jobs and a destination for fright fans from all over.

Building on a solid foundation of frights gained from years of experience terrifying tourists, the house is making a major leap ahead this year as organizers labor to make it one of the “Top 10 Haunts in America.” Along the way, they will put people to work, help raise money for their community and cement Fallsburg’s reputation as a great place to visit.

“It will be top 10. It probably already is,” said Brian Cassady, who is leading the effort and investing thousands of his own dollars to make the old house unforgettably terrifying.

“I’m not bragging, but it would be cheating to compare us to anything even close to here. And, with $12 tickets instead of $50 tickets, it’s going to open some eyeballs. I guarantee you that. What we are doing this year is not even comparable to anything within two hours of here. I would say the Haunted Hoochie in Columbus is the closest thing to this ... and I’ve heard they do more than a million a year,” he said.

The Fallsburg Haunted House, a white two-story built as an Odd Fellows Lodge in 1902, has served different community agencies since 1987 and was “an off-and-on community center,” Cassady said. The volunteer haunting each fall worked well until a few years ago, when local residents simply did not have the time and resources to keep it going, he said.

Instead of boarding the place up and letting the haunted house tradition die, the business owner saw an opportunity to do something that could benefit neighbors in the rural Lawrence County community.

“The last five years, it’s just been hard. A lot of people around here went from getting 40 hours a week to being lucky to hold onto two part-time jobs and less time to volunteer for anything,” Cassady said last week, explaining last year’s haunted house put much-needed cash into many local pockets. “We employed about 40 last year and we’re looking at probably 50 or 60 this year. I want to keep five people employed here full time year-round within five years. For 12 weeks, at least, we have eight people who get more than 40 hours a week, and for six weeks we have full-time jobs for 50 to 60 people.”

Along with his “core group” of Robert Green, Tim Stevens, Karen Branham, Mike Smith, Brandon Stevens and Amanda Mullins, Cassady has been scheming and dreaming up plans for an ultimate fright experience since they traveled to St. Louis for the Transworld Haunt Show. Cassady said they have since taken ideas from some of the best haunts in the country and applied their own twists and modifications to reflect the history of Fallsburg, while adding even more spice to the experience.

The local factor is exactly what makes the Fallsburg Haunted House so special, Cassady said, explaining the script of this year’s scare is based on facts from the community’s history. Instead of worrying about Freddy Krueger or Michael Myers, visitors will hear true tales of Lawrence County’s past, such as the legend of Pud Marcum, the last man legally hanged in the county.

“We are bringing history back, and we make it scary,” said Tim Stevens.

The actual props, machines and effects in play are also the result of the creativity and ingenuity of people living within a roughly five-mile radius. Modern, high-tech gadgets incorporated into the next version of the haunted house were purchased and installed after house haunters came up with their own ways to fit them into the local theme.

“You talk about local talent — Wayne Adkins fabricated our Hell’s Wagon and it will blow your mind. He used his experience fabricating things for coal mines. I took him some ideas and pictures and he made it even better,” Cassady said, proudly pointing out features of the wagon (which is one of only a few of its kind in the nation) armed with rows of paintball guns patrons will use to take aim at live zombies in the woods near his father’s campgrounds along Blaine Creek.

Crediting his core group for “ideas like crazy,” Cassady said he also relies on the group to rein him in when he gets carried away with his own wild plans.

Last year’s haunted house went well, although there were challenges including a major traffic jam and three portable toilets that filled up far faster than anticipated. “It was chaos, but everybody worked together and we took care of it,” Cassady said, shaking his head at the memory. “I realized this year there had to be some major planning.”

Conservative estimates indicate this fall’s haunted house will attract at least 6,000 to 7,000 visitors, although Cassady said they are preparing for 10,000 to 12,000 guests. With that many people, he explained, the inner workings of the operation are crucial, with any delays resulting in disappointed visitors and a decreased bottom line.

“If you lose 30 seconds per group, you lose thousands of dollars,” he explained, citing the professional organizing skills of his core group. “It has to be efficient. Now, we know we can run five lines of people instead of two.”

After paying $50 to see some of the nation’s highest-ranking haunts, Cassady said he is also a big believer in keeping the wait short and providing entertainment for people standing in line.

Much work remains to be done before anyone gets spooked this year. Cassady often cites pending purchases including loads of gravel, shuttle vans and a train to transport people from the haunted corn maze to the haunted house. Even with so much to do, Cassady and crew remain fired up for the scary parts.

“I’ve jumped out of graves. I’ve shot at people. I’ve cut kids with chain saws,” said Robert Green, recalling his many roles at the house in past years including his appearance in its latest YouTube video.

Even with long hours and numerous chores, Green said the fun of scaring people just keeps getting better as employees perfect their characters and find new and improved ways to get a reaction from the crowds. Each feature of the haunted house has become “layered” in frights as the crew thought of ways to sustain the screams and scares.

Cassady and crew are promoting the haunted house through Facebook, where they offer fans games with rewards of tickets to the “sneak peek” for this year’s haunting. The sneak-peek crowd will be limited to about 60, Cassady said, with each participant encouraged to provide feedback for ways to make the experience even more terrifying.

TIM PRESTON can be reached at tpreston@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2651.