The Bronx Zoo can be a scary place this time of year

Frightful creatures, crashing crates and trembling houses surround riders of the Hess Haunted Hayride at the Bronx Zoo’s annual Halloween spectacular.

For Max Aughaven, 6, of Ardsley, the frights of the annual Boo at the Zoo were just right. His eyes intermittently switched between being buried in his mother’s arms and scanning the spooky horizon of a village whose residents left it behind but were clearly still haunting its terraces and homes.

Karen Aughaven, Max’s mom, said she and her son had just come for a regular day at the zoo when they happened upon all the frightening fun.

“We didn’t know there was a Halloween thing, but I’m glad. This is fun,” she said.

The Hess Haunted Hayride is just one of the spooky and not-so-spooky things to do during Boo.

At Noon and 2 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday in October, children and their parents can join in the costume parade at the Rhino Garden. Among the puppets and props, kids will find a 10-foot tall grasshopper and an eight-foot tall butterfly marching along.

The old “World of Darkness” building, which housed bats, night monkeys and other nocturnal creatures before it closed in 2009, is a fitting backdrop for the Haunted Safari, hosted by the ominously named Dr. D. Zaster. His Expedition Earth, a secret project for saving animals, has gone haywire and the results turn his lab into a veritable disaster zone.

Safe from Dr. D. Zaster’s failed experiment, Natalie Schulman, 7, was busy painting a Halloween mask that wasn’t exactly intended for frights.

“It’s a tiger. I think they’re cute,” Natalie said.

Other activities include a musical performance by the Children’s Theater Company at Lehman College, “So You Think That’s Scary?” about misunderstood animal species’, and an animal themed performance by magician David Levitan.

And it wouldn’t be October without a hay maze, held everyday from 11 to 4:30 p.m. On Sunday, the twists and turns of the grassy labyrinth were too much for one kid who found a creative shortcut.

“This way is much easier,”the boy yelled to his mom as he climbed over a stack of hay, ascending a short wall that was meant to turn the typical maze-traveler around.

Boo at the Zoo runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays through Sunday, October 30, at the Bronx Zoo, 2300 Southern Boulevard. For more information, call 718- 220-5100.