Welcome to your doom at Scream at the Beach

It's dark. One hand is grasping your companion's, the other is groping blindly in front of you. The floor is uneven and it feels as though it could abruptly end at any moment. There is no light and the only sounds are the haggard breathing coming from you and your group. Suddenly, there's a loud bang right next to your ear.

It's moments like this that make your blood run cold and a scream erupt from within. It's moments like this that make Portland's Scream at the Beach the place to go to be scared.

Scream at the Beach is in its ninth season, and so far it proves to be the biggest one yet.

Rated in the top 3 percent of best haunts in the nation, Jantzen Beach's seasonal scare-fest is well known to natives and tourists.

Located at the Jantzen Beach SuperCenter inside the old Circuit City building, Scream at the Beach has five haunts this year all connected in one seemingly never-ending tour and is the biggest haunt around.

This was my first year attending the event, and I must say, it held up to my expectations.

Walking through the haunt, I think I screamed and jumped at more things than I have in my entire life. It wasn't the flashing lights or the animatronics that scared me most of all. It was the lack of light, the endless tunnels, and the cast that frightened me to the point of terror.

Around every corner, and sometimes above your head, there was something that was not expected.

You start out in the Gothenberg Estate where ghouls and madmen come at you from nowhere. Then you wander through the Clown's Playground where any victim is a coulrophobe. Next you emerge outside in a graveyard and ushered into the darkest tunnel you'll ever be in. In the following moments, you find yourself the human sacrifice in an ancient ritual. Finally, you're running from a military experiment gone wrong.

All the while, you're being asked if you want to play a game.

If you're not the type to get scared by things like that, an amusing way to pass the time in the haunt is to throw off the actors - something that is very hard to do. Every member of the cast is dedicated to their character and are not easily diverted.

Another change this year, other than the building, is the way the entire event is set up. In previous seasons, each haunt was separate, creating long lines. Guests were waiting for upwards of three hours.

This year, the only line you wait in is the one to get into the building. Once inside, you're given a group number. Then each group goes in at different intervals.

While you're waiting for your number to be called, there is a whole Halloween Town of activities, including; Halloween Portraits, Bizzaro's Hat shop, Captain Henry's Pirate Store, Miss Morbid's Playhouse of Horrors, and much more.

Outside the building there are carnival rides and games, which seem a bit out of place in the middle of autumn, but nevertheless a great way to enjoy the season.

Scream at the Beach continues through Oct. 31. For times, ticket and contact information, as well as other events and casting opportunities, visit screamatthebeach.com.