Shanghai Happy Valley is set to scare.

The amusement park is crawling with 300 witches, demons and zombies - the main characters of Halloween's ghoulish casting call are out in force.

Music, performances and art complement the "panic world's" six haunted houses and four "ghost domains".

This Halloween's theme is far more frightening than last year's pumpkin party, Shanghai OCT Co Ltd administrator Xu Fei says.

"The horrifying event will be an unforgettable experience," Xu says.

Visitors don't need costumes, since professional face-painters are working the entrance for free.

During the daytime, Happy Valley remains, well, happy. But it turns into "hell" after 5:30 pm.

The six haunted houses borrow themes from horror flicks. One is a deserted high school, prowling with the souls of murderous teachers and students. Another is a primeval forest inhabited by a cannibalistic tribe.

The ghost domains also house different incarnations of evil.

The Happy Time Street gathers ghouls who play with fire. The Golden Mine Town swarms with the living dead - and they're hungry. And the Shangri-La area transforms into woodlands where demons conjure witchcraft.

At the lakeside square, visitors can join a ghost carnival, where bloody skeletons, zombies in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) attire, demons and vampires from the East and the West celebrate.

A zombie band plays creepy music on the high stage. Giant pumpkin dolls dole out sweets to children who shout "trick-or-treat".

Indeed, the jamboree makes for a hell of a happy Halloween.

wuni@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 10/27/2013 page15)