Jason Egan has been in the business of scaring the pants off people since he was in high school in Omaha, Neb., building haunted houses in his basement, garage and backyard. When a parent asked him to create one for her child, his Octobers got busy as demand for his services skyrocketed. In college at the University of Nebraska, he nurtured his idea and opened it to the masses. He just needed a bigger market, like Las Vegas.

Now his Fright Dome is one of the largest and most successful scary attractions in the city, taking over the Adventuredome at Circus Circus each year and bringing screams, thrills and terrors all October long. “Michael Jackson came 2003,” Egan says. “People loved it to death. It became a staple item. Stevie Wonder, Paris Hilton and even DJ Pauly D came. Twelve years later and we’re still crossing boundaries.”

This year, Egan partners with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the cult film that opened the doors for independent filmmakers 40 years ago when it first hit theaters. Yes, Leatherface will be lurking in the collection of six haunted houses, frightening people with his chain saw and mask made by Hollywood special effects guru Gary J. Tunnicliffe. Replicas of the furniture made from bones, the fictional gas station and even the gallows from the town overrun by cannibals all turn the landscape into a scene right out of the movie.

“We really pride ourselves on not buying the props,” says Egan, who has a full-time seamstress making costumes for his staff of 450-500. “We have an amazing cast that comes back every year. It’s all about the actors. Your haunted house is only as good as your worst actor.”

Aside from the outdoor haunted house dedicated to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with its lighting effects and chain saw sounds, Egan says some of the other attractions that take over 250,000 square feet are even better versions of ones found in previous Fright Domes. The Killer Clowns in 4-D came with 3-D glasses last year, and this time has “enhanced clown sprays.” The Hillbilly Hell Offspring riffs on a haunted house from a few years ago and has a mine shaft. Egan says there’s a crazy pregnant woman on the wall that incorporates special effects and an actor who “scares the crap out of you.” Zombie Quarantine addresses the ever-popular zombie genre while Dead End brings in beautiful vampire scenes.

The attraction that may thrill guests most is the new Isolation maze for those who buy a fast pass that gets people to front of line quickly. Those who dare to venture inside navigate this maze solo. “We have extreme actors in there. It’s disturbing, almost like they’re keeping mental institution patients in there. The one-on-one interaction weirds people out,” Egan says, who cautions that the performers here never touch guests.

Four scare zones covering clowns, “Dead West,” murder and zombies with two 6-foot-10 chain-saw twins haunting the spaces add to the terror. If that’s not enough to instill fear in guests, the already-insane Adventuredome rides, including the new El Loco roller coaster, are available to ride in the dark through the rest of the month.

Circus Circus, 7 p.m.-midnight Oct. 19, 23-26 & 29-31, 7 p.m.-1 a.m. Nov. 1 (Afterlife Day of the Dead), starting at $39.95, $59.95 with fast pass, $89.95 with VIP guided tour plus tax and fee. 702.794.3939