On Halloween evening around 6:30 p.m., Dorrill Dining Hall (D-Hall) opened the doors to their annual haunted house. A line curved around the tables of feasting students, winding almost towards the back of the Grand Dining Hall in the beginning of the night. D-Hall workers manned the doors that lead to the haunted house while others waited to act as tour guides and walk students through in smaller groups. Those who waited watched as group after group emerged some ten feet from the entrance, giggling and exclaiming in loud shouts as they came through. A handful couldn't stay on their feet, they were laughing so hard at themselves. Screams could be heard from coming inside as well, which only heightened the excitement of those waiting in line.
One such student waiting to be let through was freshman Devon Burnette. When asked what her feelings were before going into the haunted house, she said, "I am really interested to see if it is scary, just because it is put on by the staff of D-Hall." She and her three girlfriends all went through and when they emerged they were laughing just as others before them had been. "It was slightly frightening. I mean, I was holding on to some ones hand," she joked afterwards when asked whether it was scary. Freshman Kiara Anthony was another part of the group. "I liked the clowns and them saying, ‘Come play with us.' That was creepy," she said. The house was made up of about five or six different rooms, like any haunted house normally would be set up, complete with hanging sheets and strange creatures that shake the walls. The lighting was dark and unstable, ensuring a scary and shifty atmosphere that gave the audience limited ability to see what was coming. The floor was also littered with strange objects, such as leaves and stuffed birds, and hung on the walls were clown paintings that glowed eerily in the dark.
This year's house and theme were also very different. "Last year we were not able to utilize all of the space in the annex, said Alissa Ritchie, a participant and organizer of the event. "Also, this year we went in a different direction with the theme. We chose to do phobias because it really opened up a lot of creative opportunity. Each room was something completely different from the last, which I think was fun because no one ever knew what was coming next. We also enlisted the help of the theater department. Specifically, Ken Hopkins worked very closely with us on the set design," The entire set took about a week of hard work and dedication, with students working some four to five hours a day.
Overall the event was a success, with a large number of students lining up to enjoy a nice scare. When asked what how she felt about the Haunted House overall, Ritchie said, "My favorite part of this entire project was probably watching it all come together. I have never done anything like this before, so I'm glad people seemed to enjoy it. But honestly, I couldn't have done it without all of the people that stayed with us for hours night after night, and I think it was during those times that I had the most fun."
