Rachel Decker
The Paw Print
The Haunted House production, put on by the Nursing students and staff in Richardson Hall, was nothing short of terrifying. The event, which ran the 28, 29, and 31 of October drew a crowd of over a thousand visitors, and the ghostly events did not fail to entertain
With admission only two dollars, many families found it more affordable than other haunted houses, and groups showed up by the dozens. There were three different events offered Halloween weekend that kept guests busy all night. Along with the events, a bake sale ran all three nights, and home-cooked chili was sold Monday night.
As for the attractions, the night started with the True Hauntings of Richardson Hall, put on by the Paranormal Discovery Club. On the tour, guests got to hear the true ghost stories of Richardson Theatre while going on a walking tour of the theatre and the basement.
“I ran out of there screaming,” one guest said. When asked what he thought was the scariest part of the tours, he said, “the fact that nothing jumps out at you. It’s like a psychological suspense tour that gets you paranoid. Then when you actually hear something, it scares you more than you’d expect.”
Once guests made it through the Haunted Tours, they were led upstairs to enter the Haunted Hospital. With the walls entirely blacked out, it was hard to see where to walk, and it was hard to tell what was hiding in the shadows. Inside the Haunted Hospital were things like the surgery room, where they could see one of the doctors operating on an unwilling patient. Then guests got led into the Psychiatric ward, where some of the more insane patients lingered to scare people. Then came the claustrophobia hallway, a narrow, padded passageway that guests had to squeeze through. When they came out on the other side, they were met with the morgue, and a few not-so-dead cadavers.
“It was awesome,” Jennifer George, the undead cadaver, said. “Especially when we had giant groups huddled together screaming.”
For the children, or those not brave enough to handle the Haunted Hospital, the Haunted Attic was also a part of the Haunted House production. Located on the third floor, children got the chance to meet a gypsy, have a great time, and go trick-or-treating. Snow White would meet them downstairs and escort them up while parents went through the other two attractions.
“It was really great of them to offer that for the kids,” said one mother. “I loved being able to have them participate in something like that while I went to the Hospital.”
When asked what her favorite part of the Haunted Attic was, one little girl said,
“The candy. I really like the candy. It’s the best.”
So whether families came for the scares, the laughs, or the candy, everyone left satisfied and smiling.
“Oh, I’m definitely coming back next year,” Brandon Atley said. “You couldn’t keep me away. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for me next Halloween.”
What’s Been Said…