As October winds down, the Halloween spirit grows. Longwood students looking for a fright last Friday night, Oct. 24, headed to Stevens Hall for a Haunted Hospital put on by the Nursing students.
For five dollars, students were led by their tour guides through several creepy rooms, each with a different theme and costumed Nursing students up to the task of providing a horrifying experience for their visitors. The four themes were the Apothecary, Pediatric Room, Psych Ward and the Operation Room.
The event was a fundraiser for the Student Nursing Association (SNA) and the money raised will go towards other events sponsored by them, as well as scholarships for graduating Nursing students to aid with paying for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) fee. The NCLEX is a test that licenses graduated students as official nurses.
Leading the organization of the event was senior Shannon Riordan and junior Hayley Stiles of SNA. Riordan was a veteran at organizing the Haunted Hospital, this being her second year putting everything together, and taught Stiles the ropes at the same time.
“Shannon planned it last year and asked me to help her co-lead, so that when she graduates this year I can take over and keep it going,” Stiles said.
After creating committees to handle each of the four rooms, Riordan and Stiles just made themselves available for anything the committee heads said they might need help with.
“My favorite part is just watching everyone go through and getting to experience what we’ve been able to put on and seeing their reactions to how scared they are,” saidStiles.
Within the Apothecary room, one would find a crazy lady frantically pacing, offering those who entered her strange potions, and asking them to blindly stick their hands inside of boxes. This was a new room, not a part of the attraction in last year’s hospital.
The Pediatric Room held more people inside it. Themed around the part of the hospital holding children, a few people were dressed as creepy dolls, asking people to come play with them.
The actors in the Psych Ward room acted exactly as they should, like they belonged there. Along with the people, a film clip played on the wall, further enhancing the atmosphere.
The bloodiest room of them all was the Operation Room. People were on gurneys, calling to those passing by to help them while their doctors stood over them with their tools.
Throughout the Haunted Hospital and in the hallways, the actors followed visitors, staring them down and creating a very uncomfortable atmosphere, which increased the scare factor.
When asked what she thought the fan favorite was, Stiles was a bit torn.
“It’s hard to say, they are all so different. People like the Pediatric room because there [are] people jumping out and it’s the first, but I think they like Psych because these people are literally crazy and chasing them down the hall,” said Stiles.
All-in-all, Stiles estimated that they brought in around 500 dollars for SNA, making the hospital a success not only for the students who visited, but for those putting it on as well.
