Carnival season. Mountains of cotton candy. The smell of fresh popcorn lingers in the air.

But you don’t enjoy the food, rides and entertainment.

You die.

That’s just one of the menu items, “Killer Klown,” in Death by Design, a production company started by artists Michelle Maynard and Teena McClelland.

Since Monday, students have had the opportunity to plan, and watch, their own death.

But not literally of course.

Maynard and McClelland have been shooting slasher scenes for students in the Tarble Arts Center all this week and the premiere of those scenes is this Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m.

The pair has offered people the ability to film their own death with their company since 2005.

“Death by Design provides a service – of sorts – to people who can come into our set and pick a death off our menu, and add their own spice to it,” Maynard said.

Participants choose from a menu of ways to die, including “Killer Klown,” the scenario where a person might believe they are going to a carnival, but ends up meeting a clown with a killer instinct.

After the premiere, students will be able to see the scenes until April 1.

DVDs of those scenes will also be on sale during that time, along with other merchandise.

Normally, Maynard and McClelland charge a student $25 to film their own death scene, but the Eastern community has been reluctant, McClelland said.

“We advertised it in a few different places and we asked for reservations to be taken via our Web site,” McClelland said. “In this community it seems like we might be a little more frightening than in other places, but the people that have gotten to know us seem very comfortable with us killing them.”

McClelland said that the volunteers who helped them with the filming process were not charged when filmed in a scene.

Students still can film their own death scene today at the Tarble Arts Center. Call 581-2787 for more details.

For more information click here.