Spend your 'scream break' in Dread Hollow

Ruby Falls' haunted Halloween town, Dread Hollow, is rising for two days this month and daring the brave to spend "scream break" there.

Are you brave enough to come face-to-face with circus freaks at this special-edition haunt? "Dread Hollow: Freaks Alive" will rise up in Lookout Valley on two Saturdays, March 23 and 30.

Scream Break is March 23 and 30 in Lookout Valley. / Ruby Falls contributed image

This Dread Hollow is based on the legend of Angus Grimbaldi, known as Grimby the Garrulous. Angus was a clown in an 1800s traveling circus who, is said, began to embody his carnival character to the point he even had his makeup permanently tattooed to his face.

As the circus journeyed from town to town, victims began to appear at every stop on the circuit. Some were found beheaded, some strangled and hanged, some tarred and feathered, but all were left with an everlasting maniacal grin.

After months of investigation, the murders were linked to Grimby. He was captured, found guilty and sentenced to death.

As the executioner raised his ax, Grimby's final words rang out, "We are not the freaks, you are. You all long to be one of us!"

After his death, folklore kept Grimby's story alive with the warning that any miscreant could raise the spirit of Grimby by chanting "one of us" with the drawing of blood.

Now in the cursed town of Dread Hollow, folks brave enough to visit will hear the chant "one of us" as the resident freaks beckon his arrival.

Parents are advised this haunted attraction is not recommended for children under 12.

Also during the two nights of the haunted attraction, there will be two escape rooms on-site that are a separate ticketed event.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.dreadhollow.com.

Directions: From downtown, take exit 175 off I-24 West, turning right onto Browns Ferry Road. Look for signs for Dread Hollow on the left.