Those looking for a good fright this week have an array of haunted places from which to choose.

Urban legends come to life at Elsinore Farms during its sixth annual Hauntings at Elsinore, an elaborate haunted house that picks a new theme each year, farm owner Scott Kelley said.

Hauntings at Elsinore is not a charity event, but a professional 13-room haunted house that employs about 30 to 50 actors, he said. Kelley has worked in haunted houses across the state for 30 years.

The house is completely redone each year and this year will feature Bigfoot, Mary Worth and other legendary frighteners.

“We have had lots of excellent comments this year,” Kelley said. “I think this is our best house so far.”

The house is not tame, Kelley said. It is designed to be scary, and the theme is what sets it apart from other houses.

“We’re giving people an emotional ride,” he said.

The house takes about 10 minutes to walk through and is open from 7 p.m until about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children. Coupons are available at Wal-Mart, Papa John’s and County Market, but Kelley said all three are quickly running out.

Elsinore Farms also offers a haunted walk and hayride for the same price, but only if weather cooperates. The farm is located on West State Street, three miles west of Dairy Queen.

Competing with Elsinore Farms for the haunted house crowd is the Charleston Jaycees Haunted Fairgrounds at the Coles County Fairgrounds. Krista Snider, Haunted Fairgrounds chair and individual development vice president for the Jaycees, said the group has been haunting Charleston in the merchants’ building for as long as she can remember.

The house, built within the green and white merchant’s building, features 15 rooms of different scares and employs 35 to 40 people on any given night. Those waiting in line will be treated to scary movies, Snider said. Young kids who are too scared to venture into the house can play in a petting zoo.

The 4-H Club will sell popcorn and hot dogs outside of the house and tours are guided, Snider said. A portion of the proceeds will go toward sending developmentally disabled children to Camp New Hope.

Snider said the Jaycees have revamped some old rooms and created a few new ones this year, and the house will be toured in reverse of its usual direction.

Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for children under 12 and the house is open from 7 to 11 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. The fairgrounds are located on University Drive, north of County Market.

City wide trick-or-treating will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday in Charleston.