A GHOULISH tourist attraction has proved so popular that organisers are already planning next year’s event.

Over four days last week more than 1,200 people flocked to Hex in the Harvest, a horror-based guide through a maize maze at Hawkshaw Farm Park, Longsight Road, Clayton-le-Dale.

Farmer Eric Dowson, who ran the event alongside wife Amanda, said the venture had been a huge success.

He said: “If Hallowe’en had run for two weeks we would have been fully booked every night.

“Ticket sales have been so good that we had to put on extra time slots over the weekend. It was extended for two hours on Saturday and one hour on Sunday.

“Of all the people coming through the most common words has been ‘fantastic.’ “ People have really enjoyed it.

“We will almost certainly do it again next year at Hallowe’en and we may run a similar event in the summer as well.”

Hex in the Harvest sees participants walk through the maze in the darkness and encounter live actors and effects taken from the scenes of horror films.

The aim is to give people a shock as well as providing entertainment at the same time.

The event was originally meant to take place in the summer.

But heavy rain meant the maize crop took longer to grow to full height than normal so it was decided to stage it around Hallowe’en instead.

Mr Dowson added: “Amazing does not really do justice to how well Hex in the Harvest has gone.

“The maize doesn’t like rain and heavy soil, which it got both of this summer because it was so wet.

“But it’s been great that we have been able to go ahead with it in the end.”