By Alex Eubanks
The place where you do your homework became a whole lot scarier Friday, when the Student Life Center was transformed into a haunted house that thrilled and scared students, faculty and staff members.
Hosted by the Harborside Activities Board, groups of students decorated and designed rooms in the building, turning it into a demonic version of itself.
Walking into the haunted house, the first thing that attacked your senses were the ringing screams from somewhere deeper inside the and the sight of ghoulish versions of the HAB volunteers.
It got more horrifying with every step, as the cries got louder and more ominous. Only when the screaming stopped were you permitted to enter.
Once inside, visitors were escorted forward, meeting a pleasant fellow in the first room, who offered them a frosted Halloween-themed cookie. Visitors were then shown to a room with two eerie ladies, sitting and drinking tea.
Visitors were then hustled toward a ‘Get Out” inspired room, where images of African-American celebrities, such as Ol Dirty Bastard from the hip-hop group Wu Tang Clan, were auctioned off in a slave auction, with two bidders and a host. After the auction finished, visitors were offered a commemorative photo with their guide and one of the tea drinking ladies. As the photo was taken, the guides let out a blood curdling scream.
Sent on your way by the guide who took your picture, visitors then were off to the rest of the house, where they met a man with a chainsaw, a doctor dissecting a patient with bursting intestines and a long fingered demon reaching out from the curtains.
Another memorable fixture was a room inspired by Stephen King’s “IT,” which featured two Pennywise clowns and Georgie, each holding a red balloon and chanting “you’ll float too,” a nod to the latest version of the Stephen King film and book “IT.” The twins from “The Shining” also watched as visitors moved through the room.
While the idea of this room was good, it could have been scarier, and it could have been in a creepier room.
After the “IT” room, visitors were moved to another room inspired by “Chuckie.” The room was filled with dolls and two demonically dressed actors, one of which appeared to be a human doll with horrifying detailed makeup.
This room was well put together, and the actors who worked it were good, which made the room creepier, as they consistently asked visitors to play with them.
The haunted house also featured a room with zombies who ominously followed visitors around, even chasing them at times. Included in the Haunted House were other horror icons like Jason.
There was a girl in an office screaming and hitting the glass window which was also very creepy.
While the house had its moments where it failed to inspire true fear, primarily in the Stephen King area which felt underdeveloped, it shined in both the attention to detail, especially in the “Get Out” area which featured several very layed out rooms and terrific acting.
Each time you went through a new area you weren’t guaranteed to experience the same scares as last time, which made the haunted house unpredictable.
Inside the Student Life Center last year, students staged horrific scenes at HAB’s annual haunted house. Jonah Hinebaugh | The Crow’s Nest
