Things are getting a little creepy again at Lake Square Mall as two haunted attractions invite visitors to explore what lurks inside — and underneath — the mall.

Organizer Josh Blake is back with a new haunted house, Blackout Zone, while a partnership with the Rayl family brings a second attraction, Area 352, giving Halloween thrill-seekers two different experiences this year.

Lake Square Mall Creative Arts Director Josh Blake

Josh is no stranger to creating scares. The Lake Square Mall Creative Arts Director previously worked for Universal Studios and spent time as a professional scare actor at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights before bringing that experience to Leesburg. In previous years, he has transformed portions of Lake Square Mall into elaborate haunted attractions filled with local actors, detailed sets and plenty of scares.

This year’s Blackout Zone almost became something considerably darker — literally.

“The idea for Blackout Zone actually started with a very different concept,” Josh says. “Originally, we were considering doing a completely lights-out haunted house this year, where guests would have to find their way through almost entirely in the dark.”

Safety concerns ultimately put an end to that idea, but not the name.

Instead, Josh created a storyline in which a section of Lake Square Mall has been closed and restricted from the public for years following strange and unexplained occurrences. According to the fictional story, a group of teenagers eventually sneaked inside to investigate and disappeared.

Now, that restricted section has supposedly reopened.

“Guests are invited to enter the Blackout Zone themselves, but once those doors close behind them, there are no guarantees about what they’ll find inside, or whether everyone in their group will make it back out,” Josh says.

Visitors looking for another scare can head even deeper into the fictional world through Area 352, created by the Rayl family.

Area 352 builds on the Blackout Zone storyline with the premise that a secret second level exists beneath the mall. Guests descend by “elevator” into a hidden military installation where an alien outbreak has occurred and things have gone terribly wrong.

“Blackout Zone takes you into a forbidden section of the mall, while Area 352 takes you underneath it,” Josh says.

The collaboration also allowed the two attractions to exist within the same fictional universe while offering distinctly different experiences.

“We were very happy to welcome the Rayl family and have Area 352 operating alongside Blackout Zone this year,” Josh says. “They’re a great family who genuinely care about Lake Square Mall, believe in what it can be and want to see it succeed.”

Behind the monsters, aliens and things that go bump in the night is a largely local effort. Josh says local performers and others working behind the scenes have put significant time and energy into creating the attractions.

“One of the things we’re most proud of is the local talent involved in bringing these attractions to life,” he says. “We hope the community comes out not only to have a fun Halloween experience, but also to support the mall, the Rayl family and all of the local performers who have worked to make it happen.”

Both attractions run through Oct. 31. Tickets are $15 per haunted house for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under, or $28 for a combination ticket that includes admission to both attractions. Additional deals are available online.

For Josh, success isn’t necessarily measured by how quickly people run for the exit, although a few screams certainly don’t hurt.

“At the end of the day, we want people to scream while they’re inside, come running out laughing and spend the ride home talking about who got scared the worst,” he says. “We’re hoping it becomes something families and friends can look forward to together and something we can continue to grow for the community in the years ahead.”