Julia Rosier ’18

The dark, smoke-filled entrance of rags and ruins and silhouetted figures outlines the entrance to another world. The sinister laughter and screams coming from the figures fill the rooms as you walk through. Different scenes from graveyards to butcheries come into sight and figures with masks jump out and give you a thrill.

The tradition of attending haunted houses entices Staples students each Halloween. Available this year are the Haunted Graveyard at Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut; the Playland Amusement Park in Rye Brook, New York and The Headless Horseman Haunted Trails in Ulster Park, New York.

Bryn Reilly ’18 attended the Haunted Graveyard at Lake Compounce and described it as a smoke-filled field. “[The haunted maze] was really scary because you didn’t know if anything was going to pop out at you,” Reilly said. “You couldn’t even stand next to a friend.”

In addition to the maze, the Haunted Graveyard includes a butchery and haunted vampire house.

Gabriela Vega ’18 has attended the same location three times. “I wasn’t that scared because I’ve been many times and know what’s coming,” Vega said. “They didn’t have some of the effects they usually do [in past years] but other than that it was pretty similar.”

Margo Cerrone ’18 attended the Headless Horseman Haunted Trails in New York. She stated that she became increasingly nervous as she neared the entrance. “The first scare I got was before I even went in the haunted trails. It was while waiting on the line,” Cerrone said.

The Headless Horseman Haunted Trails is composed of numerous “exhibits” instead of one large haunted house. In addition, actors walk around the trails to give people the complete experience.

“I remember in the butchery scene, the actor cut a fake piece of meat and fake blood came out and he held it to my face and said ‘want a bite?’,” Cerrone said. “I jumped back and was disgusted by the prop because they did an excellent job not only portraying the role of a butcher but also creating life-like bloody meat.”

Similarly, Carolyn Cassell ’20 attended the haunted house because she has always enjoyed horror movies. “I thought it would be a good experience, but [after] I was screaming for seven minutes,” Cassell said.

Sophia Sherman ’18 went to the haunted house at the Playland Amusement Park. “It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be,” Sherman said. “Most of the time my friends and I joked around and tried talking to the people in the haunted house.”
Sherman believes that the temptation of haunted houses is derived from the challenge to determine whether she can be scared.

For Reilly, the lure of haunted houses lies in the thrill of being spooked. “You know you’re not going to get hurt, so it is kind of just a thrill and you get to have fun,” Reilly said. “I guess some people like being scared and not knowing what’s going to happen.”