A pile of masks sits Wednesday on the floor of Thompson Hall at the Umatilla County Fairgrounds in Hermiston.<br><I>Staff photo by Sarah Britain

Nowadays, getting an honest scream of terror out of a youngster can be tricky.

“Very seldom do kids get scared just by a static display,” said Agape House Executive Director Dave Hughes. “But when you’re here and all of a sudden someone reaches out and touches you, it makes the difference.”

Hughes is the man behind the black plastic curtain at the U-Rock radio station/Agape House haunted house at the Umatilla County Fairgrounds, and he’s learned a thing or two in the years he’s been in charge.

Although it sits in the cavernous Thompson hall, Hughes’ warren of small rooms – made of makeshift walls of two-by-fours, plastic or white sheets – induce a sense of claustrophobia while introducing intrepid thrill-seekers to one close-up blood-spattered fright after another.

With a mere three hours to go before show time Wednesday afternoon, Hughes cheerfully stapled, sawed and plugged in the various features of his brainchild. In another room, three teenage volunteers put together displays such as the witch’s kitchen, a space given to a life-size witch, her cauldron of evil brew and a black cat.

Hughes gets help from members of the Hermiston Key Club, the Hermiston alternative high school and the youth groups of Umatilla Baptist Church and the First Christian Church. They help him put the house together, and then act as the roving zombies/ ghosts/ what-have-yous that make the whole show work.

People first encounter the “ho-hum room” when they enter Hughes’ house.

“These are the old-fashioned things that used to be scary when I was growing up,” he said, referring to masks of deranged clowns and a giant spider web. During the show – spoiler alert – one of the performers will probably be lurking behind one of the masks, sparking at least a spot of fear before entrants move on.

From there, mere mortals herd their way through narrow corridors to several gory scenes, including one with a real prosthetic leg decorated with a worn American flag sticker.

Lighting, it seems, is everything. With strobe lights, fog and black walls, walking through the haunted house is a little like stepping into a dark void.

All of which is to set up any living soul for the ultimate knockdown: the performer’s pounce.

The actor’s job is to instill maximum terror, and the teenage volunteers obviously relish their duty. Last year, Hughes had a few “zombies” lie on the floor as if they were mannequins. When people walked by a seemingly terror-free display, the actors came to life, touching the legs of the unwitting subjects or just generally getting scary. Thanks to hidden doorways in the haunted house, the actors also can enter and exit at unsuspected times – another fright-creating bonus.

Hughes said nothing scares a person more than being suddenly touched by a faceless zombie, but he said he cautions his young actors about the risks of getting too close.

“We instruct people very well,” he said. “I tell everyone, especially the boys: Watch where you touch.”