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For Cydney Neil, producing Rocky Point Haunted House is more about performers than scares.

After 25 years in the fright business, Neil still wants "to scare and entertain," but is quick to point out, "my heart is with the kids and the programs."

Neil is the overseer of a staff of 300 performers and artists, including 250 youth volunteers who spend two months of their summer learning about acting, costuming, set design and makeup, taught by professionals in film, television and theater. "I look to influence their lives utilizing the haunted house," Neil said. "It's not just a place where we scare people, it's a huge team effort . . . . It's something the kids really get into."

Volunteer Bryon Nathena has been an actor at the house for seven years, playing roles varying from zombies to orcs, but this year he's playing his favorite role, Michael Meyers. Besides "scaring Cydney," being a part of the house's program has also given Nathena the chance "to learn things about the industry," including the importance of "voice, movement and improv" in acting.

The program has also affected Nathena on a personal level: He met his wife, Michelle, through her sister who was (and still is) an assistant to the makeup artist.

Professionals in the Rocky Point apprenticeship program, now in its fourth year, include Hollywood makeup artist Chris Hanson, who has worked on more than 40 films, as well as performers in the Odyssey Dance Theatre.

As a result, the haunted house itself is "way beyond boos," according to Neil. "It's a sophisticated evening of entertainment. I'm particular about every detail. We want to create something of quality that people will keep coming back to."

New attractions in the building's 60,000 square feet include re-creations of Paths of the Dead and Shelob's Lair from "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and the Texas Slaughterhouse from the latest "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" film.

Despite referring to the haunted house as the "Disneyland of haunted houses," Neil says it's not a competition with others. "It's about doing our personal best."

Though 80 percent of the staff returns each year, would-be ghouls interested in performing in the 2005 haunted house should begin checking http://www.rockypointhauntedhouse.com in May.

See for yourself

* The Rocky Point Haunted House, 3400 S. State St., opens today and continues through Oct. 30.

* Hours through Sept. 18 are Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. to midnight.

* Beginning Sept. 21, Rocky Point is open Tuesday through Thursday, 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 7:30 to midnight.

* Tickets are $14; $8 for children ages 6 to 12; $17 for a fast pass that allows visitors to bypass the entry lines.