Too old for trick-or-treating? Good. This house of horror is an adult-only attraction.

"Horror is terrible. Children really shouldn't have horror," said Halls of Horror's creator Charles Knight. "If someone wants to kill you, it's not going to be sweet."The seasonal attraction is located in and along Hair Designs by Linda Pereira in Palmerton. The Halls of Horror starts in the empty lot beside Pereira's salon, winds around the backyard, and drops down into the basement via concrete steps alongside the building.Knight said it only takes about 12 to 15 minutes to walk through it, but it might feel like forever. When some people get to those basement steps, "they turn around and walk right back out." It's that bone-chilling, full-of-fright experience that Knight and his crew delight in delivering.He said when he first opened the horror house seven years ago, he had to post catchers at the exit to keep people from running in fear into the street."What makes this place alive is the actors," Knight said.He doesn't like to use many animatronics."Actors always get the biggest scare."Among the fright crew are characters named Fury, Dr. Zero, Lurker and Doom. Knight said Doom came to him preferring to be called Doom. He'd give out his real name, but he said he could hear him saying, "Hey, that's just for tax purposes."Yes, the Halls of Horror actors do get paid."It's competitive to get in here," Knight said, and his standards for his crew are high. "If we couldn't invite them over for dinner, we don't hire them."Patrons might feel scared to death in the Halls of Horror, but Knight said he's always wandering through it watching for danger - that and he has security cameras watching what he might miss.Like any business, there's paperwork, and this one includes a lot of required inspections, but Pereira, who uses her business skills to keep it running smoothly, said she loves it."The acting and Blood Experience are my favorite," she said.For an extra charge, patrons can select this bloody feature, which means they will get touched, Knight said.That's unique about us," Pereira said. "Most places won't touch you."Knight said the Blood Experience is a whole different kind of experience where actors really get in the face - some spew insults that will get under the skin, and some just spew.Those who opt for it get a T-shirt that lets the crew know that patron wants some special treatment. Knight said goggles are not a bad idea."Our blood does come out," he said, "but don't wear anything nice."The Halls of Horror is made up of a series of rooms including, but not limited to, the Insane Asylum, Hillbilly House, Druid Room, Zombie Force and the Ball Pit - complete with 1,000 rainbow-colored, 12-inch balls and a menacing clown ready to grab from beneath them. Oh, and there's a man who jumps down "through the ceiling" in one of the rooms.The structures are reinforced, Knight said."When people get scared, they run into the door. When six people run into a door, it's not like one," he said. "Some people even try to kick their way out."That's when the actors pull back, Knight said. That patron has had the screws tightened enough.The Halls of Horror is opened Friday and Saturday nights through October.