BELLE — Before visitors stepped inside the high school haunted house, students had spent months preparing to give them a reason to scream.

From choosing a theme to planning makeup and taking on frightening characters, the students behind the attraction put time and dedication into creating a spooky experience for their community. This year was a haunted circus.

For Maddy Demos, that meant stepping into the role of ringmaster — a guide whose job included making visitors a little less comfortable along the way.

“I am basically going to be taking everybody through this scary adventure,” Demos said. “And I’m going to be terrorizing them for a spooky good time.”

She said the finished experience reflected considerable work by her classmates, particularly when it came to makeup and preparing for their roles.

Sharing the responsibility of leading visitors through the house was Savannah Ford, a senior participating for her third year. Ford said preparations began around the start of the school year, when students started discussing the theme and what they would need to bring it to life.

“This is my third year doing this, so it’s super exciting for me,” Ford said. “Although it’s bittersweet because I’m a senior now.”

Each year brings a changing group of participants, Ford said. Support has also come from the school’s esports team, volunteers and former students who return after having worked on the haunted house themselves.

For Ford, that involvement helps make the attraction a special part of the school year. The anticipation extends beyond the students working inside.

“I hear so many people talk about how I can’t wait to see what you guys do this year,” she said.

While Ford was preparing for her final haunted house as a senior, Lucie Scott was experiencing the attraction from a new perspective: as a first-year actor.

Scott said she had been visiting the haunted house since elementary school and remembered attending its first carnival-themed version. She had even helped with setup once as an elementary student.

Now, she was joining the cast.

“So I’m really excited,” Scott said.

For students who grew up attending the attraction, taking a role in the haunted house offers a chance to help create the experience they once enjoyed as visitors. For returning participants, it is another opportunity to surprise the people who come back wondering what awaits them.

Demos had a clear goal for her part in that experience.

“I am going to be part of their nightmares,” she said.