As Halloween slinks closer and the days grow colder, you may find yourself seeking out the spookier side of London — something to get your heart racing and your palms sweating.

You'll find no finer scares than at this year's haunted hayride at the Fanshawe Pioneer Village.

This year's hayride tells the horrific true tale of the Donnelly family from the Lucan area. This year also marks the 130th anniversary of the massacre of James, Johannah, John, Thomas and Bridget at the hands of vigilantes led by the town's constable.

The events, sparked by politics, religion, business rivalry, jealousy and revenge, have always had a special place in Middlesex County lore. "Although it is history, you still have to be sensitive to the fact that in a lot of communities (it) is very much alive," said Sheila Johnson, executive director of the Fanshawe Pioneer Village. She explained the story is a very delicate subject for many people living in the area, and the play treats the story carefully and respectfully.

"Over the past five years, we've really tried to focus on an aspect of Middlesex County and London history that's a bit more on the shadier side," she explained. "Because it's a local story, we want to work with local actors and local playwrights."

Londoner Jason Rip, a playwright who has written 45 plays since 1997, wrote, directed and produced this year's hayride. He described the show as a "historical haunted house."

"When you do something scary, most of the time you have to get into the supernatural, which we're really not," he said. "(The story is) neighbours murdering neighbours ... it's even scarier … it's about the evil things that people can do to each other. There's enough there to shock anyone."

Rip said he enjoyed working on the show's special effects — including blood, which he had never worked with before. "We have some pretty ambitious things going on .. I really am excited to see how our special effects turn out."

Visitors who have been to the hayride in previous years are in for a new experience. While waiting for the hayride to begin, visitors stand in a tent, where they are given background information on the events leading up to the evening of February 4, 1880. After they board a tractor-pulled wagon, they ride through the village where they are treated to "lots of scares," according to Johnson. Visitors then arrive at a central location, where the Donnelly massacre unfolds.

The ride and play last for exactly one hour, but the scares will linger with you long after.

The Donnelly Massacre performances run on October 15 to 17, October 22 to 24 and October 28 to 30. Performances run at 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Thursday and Sunday nights. Friday and Saturdays also have a 10 p.m. show.

Tickets for the preview on Friday, October 16 are $8 each. Tickets are $10 each for every performance after that.

Advance tickets are required — call 519-457-1296.

The show is not recommended for youth under age 10.