By Ally Caho
Round Table Editor
The MHS Haunted House, “Things That Go Bump in the Night”, made a screaming impact on the Middletown community. Just standing in line, one could hear the screams and terrifying fate awaiting departure.
It was carefully planned from beginning to end, starting with the screeching and creepy characters laying down the house rules, to the eerie Grim Reaper who sealed your trip to the screaming lair.
The layout of the house was cleverly designed by Bill Pressley, the tech dad of the Middletown High School drama department. He is the man responsible for creating the beautiful sets for all of the fabulous Spring Musicals, but he also designed the Haunted House to have all of the twist and turns to scare and confuse its captives. The sporadically placed niches and alcoves were perfect for the dark characters to jump out of and frighten the unsuspecting victims.
When walking through the Haunted House, one would experience various encounters with some ghoulish characters. The realistic costuming and characterization helped portray the overall idea. However, the scenes that showed bloody and gory messes were well designed, but not very frightening in my opinion.
The gore made me feel more uncomfortable and uneasy. The creepy children or people in the house also created an eerie feeling of anxiety and nervousness. The creepier scenes were usually followed by the dark characters that seem to pop out of nowhere.
The characters all played their parts frightfully well, and created that spine-chilling feeling throughout the house. They all were remotely disturbing with their voices, actions, and facial experiences, but I found that some characters had trouble staying in character.
Although the displacement of character hindered the illusion, it also put some of the more frightened patrons at ease, and gave them a second to collect themselves.
Overall, the effect of the Haunted House was astounding. The tech work and set was very well done. The two rooms that stood out the most were the “dot room” and the “hall of mirrors” due to the disorienting effect they had on visitors.
The moving of the “dot” people on the wall and the illusions of all the mirrors made one feel mystified and slightly claustrophobic. The panic made one try to escape the mirror room in hurry. This lead to the final area: the asylum.
The asylum had a mix of gore and jumpy effects. The constant yelling of the patients kept the house goers on edge. The electric chair effect was mind-boggling, between the strobe effect and the acting of the unfortunate electrified created the real effect of watching a man being electrocuted.
The overall effect of the Things that go Bump in the Night left Middletowners screaming for more, and I’m anxious to see what the drama department can brew up for next years Halloween house of fright and terror.
