Once again, the Boulder High Haunted House has out-done itself. While the students working for the haunted house pull off the illusions and scares rather effortlessly, tons of work goes into putting this event together. From the jump-scares to the screams that echo throughout the corridors, the haunted house was truly terrifying. 

One of the scariest aspects that I truly enjoyed this year was the psychological thrills. The way the theatre department created the horror house fabricated a narrative that didn’t seem too far off from the truth of a potential dystopian future; this could be a potential outcome should we be launched into a nuclear war. It was easy to be swept away into this alternate universe, leaving the mind to dwell on the possibility of global nuclear annihilation. 

While the Haunted House itself was a thrilling experience, I wanted to know what was going on behind the scenes, especially in creating the

characters. While interviewing Senior Lainey Cave, Head of Makeup, she told me that a lot of skill and patience is required when creating these monstrous characters. Some characters may only take five minutes to put together while others can take up to 45 minutes. To coordinate call times, each  makeup technical runner, or techie, is timed for how long it takes to prepare each actor or actress for the show. It can feel like a cram session. Cave claimed that although the Haunted House is “a lot of work,” it was “completely worth joining.” When asked about what inspired her to join the Boulder High Haunted House, Cave told me “I was interested in doing Haunted House freshman year because I really love art and costumes and creating things like that, and the Haunted House was a great way to play with these artistic illusions. I wanted a challenge, and this was the perfect opportunity.”

I highly recommend that all students attend the Haunted House. Even if you aren’t big on horror, it’s a great way to enjoy spooky season by supporting the Theater Department. If you get too scared, you can always just close your eyes. Remember that the actors and actresses won’t touch you, and should you get too freaked out, they will direct you to the nearest exit. For student tickets are $8 and adult tickets are $12. Haunted House generates most of the money for the theatre department, and this funding allows students to put together breathtaking productions for many seasons to come. So grab your friends and enjoy the spooktacular spectacle. #SquadGouls