By Katherine Schutzman
For The Diamondback
Nearly 500 people attended a haunted house in Stamp Student Union’s Grand Ballroom Tuesday, marking the event’s return after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students tiptoed through dim, tent-made rooms that formed the structure of the haunted house. Strobe lights, spooky sound effects and spine-chilling props — including clowns hanging overhead and red-eyed animals — strategically lined attendees’ routes throughout the attraction.
Junior biochemistry major Lilyanna Bordador was impressed with the quality of the haunted house, which was hosted by Student Entertainment Events. The addition of animatronic props was a fun touch, she added.
“I wish I had it my freshman and sophomore year. I think it would have been a silly little thing to do with my friends,” Bordador said.
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A long line of students queued in the lounge area attached to the Grand Ballroom while scarers dressed in face paint, costumes and masks awaited those daring enough to enter. As participants trekked through the tents, they encountered characters such as a blood-covered clown and Ghostface from Scream.
“People like to get scared … it’s like the thrill,” senior management major and SEE performing arts director Gonzalo Martinez said. “It’s Halloween season, I thought it’d be great to bring it back.”
One of the volunteer scarers was sophomore chemical engineering major Diego Varisco, SEE’s membership director. As a first-time scarer, Varisco looked forward to experiencing the haunted house from an insider’s perspective.
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Most people working within the haunted house were a part of SEE’s production team and were given creative liberty while inside of the attraction. This included jumping out at participating students or staring menacingly to build suspense, Martinez said.
“It was more anticipation about what’s going to happen,” freshman neuroscience major Megan Sheehan said.
Other attendees enjoyed the haunted house as a fun activity to enjoy with friends.
Junior physics major Logan Matthews said he only attended due to peer pressure, rushing through each room as quickly as he could. The cramped corridors and jumpscares around corners were exactly what he was expecting, he said.
