Shawn Troxel and Tony Cordero specialize in the unexpected

EAST COUNTY — Even in daylight, Shawn Troxel and Tony Cordero know how to put your nerves on edge.

The duo, co-owners of the area’s first professional haunted attraction, trot down a dust-stricken trail at Hunsader’s Rockin’ Ranch. Tall oak trees block a view of the sky and Spanish moss dangles near eye-level.

Troxel veers off the path and heads behind a series of old wooden structures, with only the sound of his footsteps coming from somewhere on the other side.

“What makes a good scare is doing the unexpected,” Troxel says, popping out around a corner. “(Setting the atmosphere) let’s you think about (what could happen next).”

When the sky turns black for Troxel’s haunt, Twisted Woods, there will be no going back for the faint-hearted. One insidious turn after another lurks along the trail. Although the scenes are not gory, each is designed to elicit a new sense of trepidation and to feed upon individuals’ insecurities and phobias.

“That’s why our haunt doesn’t have a single theme,” Troxel says, noting the attraction feeds on phobias about clowns, spiders and other objects of people’s fears.

Cordero agrees.

“I love the reaction from individuals,” he says. “It’s amazing how different phobias make people react in different ways.”

This year’s haunt is built around the idea that a circus visited a hillbilly town, just outside a military base, and stayed “way too long,” Troxel says.

Walking the trail takes about 30 minutes.

“Or, it depends on how fast you can run,” Cordero says with a grin.

Tricks or treats
It was October — just before Halloween — when Troxel and his family moved into their Bradenton home five years ago.

With only decorations for the front porch, Troxel prepared for a night of greeting trick-or-treaters and passing out candy. His neighbor, Cordero, stopped by to admire Troxel’s decorations and the pair quickly found a common interest.

“He helped scare all the kids getting candy,” Troxel says.

The next year, Troxel and Cordero created a two-minute-long haunted trail between their houses. Visits by 54 trick-or-treaters that year jumped to 250 the next, as word spread. In year three, the Bradenton Police Department offered to block off the street, and it made a small cash donation toward building expenses to help expand the community event. The number of visitors to the site — dubbed the Bradenton Haunted Trail — climbed to 680.

“Last year, we did over 1,800 people,” Troxel said.

The success of last year’s haunted trail prompted Troxel and Cordero to visit the 2011 Transworld Haunt Convention. The pair already had been thinking about turning their backyard Halloween haunt into something more professional, but they had hesitated about moving forward.

After attending the convention and seeing what other attractions were offering, however, the men decided they were ready to move forward.

Happy haunting
In just the first six days of haunts, Twisted Woods already has seen more than 3,600 visitors. Troxel says even workers from Busch Garden’s Howl-O-Scream have come out shaken, but thrilled with the experience.

Shows run from dusk to midnight Oct. 28-29 and from dusk to 10 p.m. Oct. 30-31 at the ranch, 23810 53rd Avenue East, Myakka, almost directly across from Hunsader Farms’ entrance. Tickets cost $13 for regular admittance, or $20 for a RIP pass, which is good for the whole season. Guests may pay $5 extra for a fast-pass to allow them to get through the line more quickly.

“My passion is for everybody to have a good time and get scared,” Troxel says. “There’s nothing satanic in my haunt. There’s no blood and gore. My thing is not to offend anybody. It’s about getting people scared.”

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].

Twisted Woods
What: Halloween haunted attraction
Where: 23810 53rd Avenue East, Myakka (Hunsader’s Rockin’ Ranch). Property is near Hunsader Farms.
When: Dusk to midnight Oct. 28-29 and dusk to 10 p.m. Oct. 30-31
Cost: $13 for regular ticket; $20 for RIP passes (unlimited visits); $5 extra for fast-lane passes.
Ages: Appropriate for ages 13 and up
Information or tickets: www.twistedwoods.com.