DUO GATHERS GHOULS FOR CREEP THRILLS.

Byline: Karen Thacker Community Columnist

If a night of frightful fun sounds delightful, then Gary Scott and Doug Barrett may have what you're looking for.

They've created the Antelope Valley Scare, a 2,400-square-foot ``haunted maze'' to entertain Halloween-lovers nightly from 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, 155 E. Ave. I.

For $5 a person, visitors who dare can wander down dark, twisting, smoke-filled corridors and hallways.

The nighttime event is geared for teen-agers on up, but a noon-to-3 p.m. Saturday matinee is available for those 10 and under and provides a toned-down, less smoke, less noise, less gore version. Three children can get in free with one paying adult, $3.

``It's our first annual Antelope Valley Scare, but we hope it will become somewhat of a tradition,'' Scott said.

It's not the first haunted maze undertaking for Barrett, a real estate advertiser, and Scott, a union iron worker.

For about eight Halloweens Barrett has provided a smaller, free version of a haunted house, which came to be known as Nightmare on 57th Street, at his home near 57th Street East and Avenue R-8 in Palmdale.

The maze went through his three-car garage, out a side door and into the backyard.

``As far as being able to scare people, we have plenty of experience,'' Scott said.

Scott joined his friend three years ago in making the event even bigger, but bigger wasn't necessarily better.

``It got way too popular,'' Scott said. ``We had security problems and it was way too much to do for free.''

Thirteen months ago, before last year's haunt got under way, the two decided they would have to move the event elsewhere. They videotaped their haunt and made a promo tape.

Financing has been the biggest struggle, with friends and family helping out, and numerous volunteers pitching in for the first-year test of how such an undertaking will go.

Fred Ramey, who coordinates many of the characters and handles videotaping, has been helping Barrett even longer than Scott, in the scare business. Other volunteers have assisted with props and will join the spooky characters lining the aisles.

Although they've developed many props, corpses, skeletons and body parts over the years, the scare needs greatly increased for this year's event.

And what do the two partners hope to get out of the project, besides staying out of debt and clearing a profit?

``It's a big kick,'' Scott admits, ``when you get people obviously having a good time being scared.''

For ticket information call [phone].

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2 Photos

PHOTO (1--Color) A net monster creeps from the shadows at the first annual Antelope Valley Scare.

(2--Color) Frightful fiends are on hand to chauffeur any who don't survive the ``haunted maze.''

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News