Scare tactics; SpookyWorld director aims to horrify, in a good way.

• Position: LIVING

Byline: Richard Duckett

When it comes to being spooked, no two people are the same.

"It's funny how very, very different everyone is," said Mike Krausert of Southboro.

Krausert's job, however, is to find out what scares people and keep them happy. Or happily horrified.

"Classics" in that regard are chainsaws and clowns, he said. "My wife is terrified of clowns. She can't stand it when she knows I'm designing a room with clowns."

But that would be all in a day's work for Krausert, who is the Halloween director for SpookyWorld.

'Tis the season for Krausert. Although his is a year-round job, 11 months of planning and designing have now come to haunt him. "You could say that. It's definitely a crazy time of year," he said during a recent interview.

SpookyWorld is at two locations this Halloween season - its "flagship" attraction, "SpookyWorld's Nightmare New England" at Litchfield, N.H.; and, for the first time, "SpookyWorld's The Fear at Fenway" at Fenway Park in Boston. "Nightmare New England" has been in operation this year since Sept. 30 and will be open today, and Oct. 20-23 and 28-31. "Fear at Fenway" opens Thursday, and will also be in business Oct. 21, 22, 23, and Oct. 28 through Nov. 6. (For full information, visit www.spookywold.com).

Fenway Park will house three attractions/recreations created by Krausert - Brigham Manor (home to 13 atrocities in the 1800s, and spirits that dwell in its stately rooms), Hancock Hill Cemetery (where not everyone rests in peace), and "3D Freak Out."

What, no clubroom of horrors with four terrifying-looking baseball starting pitchers drinking beer and eating fried chicken with zombie-like looks on their faces? Krausert diplomatically sidestepped any attempts at humor at the expense of the Boston Red Sox.

"It's funny all the jokes you hear from everyone," he said. "We tried our best to have it ("The Fear at Fenway") not be sports related. Fenway is a tremendous opportunity for us all. It's gonna be interesting. The city of Boston is in for a treat.''

He likes the team he's leading at Fenway Park. "It definitely takes a team and I believe we have one of the best in the country," he said. The 500 people SpookyWorld hires during the Halloween season include lots of actors.

"We really rely on our actors to be the ones delivering the scare," he said.

Krausert, 38, grew up in Green Bay, Wisc., where he was "the one who wanted to dress up as the scary character." One year, he joined a friend in building a...