Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
November 21, 2024

Check out haunted houses this Halloween season!

By GABRIEL LESSER | October 25, 2021

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COURTESY OF GABRIEL LESSER

Lesser recommends haunted attractions as the perfect end to spooky season. 

To celebrate this year’s Halloween season, I attended the “Buried Alive: Haunted Walk-Through Attraction” as part of the Hoptoberfest festivities.

While I was expecting the event to be at a haunted house on campus, it ended up being in a parked trailer behind the tennis courts near AMR II. 

At first glance, I was a bit disappointed, seeing that this trailer was not a house. It was quite small, so I was skeptical of how spooky and fun this “haunted trailer” could actually be. In terms of haunted houses, I usually get scared pretty easily, so to me, this event seemed like it would be a complete walk in the park.

After waiting in a 20-minute line, I was anxious to see what this event was all about. When we got to the front of the line, a man dressed in mining attire greeted our group of four and told us we were about to enter an old mine excavation filled with corpses and skulls. While this man did not scare us, we were filled with suspense and mystery about whatever was inside this tiny trailer.

As we entered, I was surprised to see how many objects the trailer contained in such little space. After walking through a looped path of vines, we sat down in an elevator simulation and everything began to shake. Our seats rocked back and forth and tiny air jets shot at our ankles, imitating the feeling of snakes around our feet. At the end of this whole experience, we still had to find our way out of the trailer in complete darkness. I hesitantly followed the person ahead of me, and we were squished between floating balloon-like objects until we finally reached the light at the end of the trailer. 

While there were no jump scares or overtly scary encounters, the haunted trailer was still a fun and mildly spooky event. Even I, someone who is scared very easily, was able to enjoy the event with just a little bit of suspense and fascination. It was the perfect way to get into the October spooky holiday spirit and enjoy a unique Monday night on campus with friends!

Whether you experience a haunted attraction like “Buried Alive” or try out a different type of haunted house, I highly recommend taking full advantage of haunted activities this Halloween season!

On our very own campus, Phi Psi is hosting a philanthropy haunted monastery event with Camp Kesem on Tuesday, Oct. 26. Additionally, if you’re into jump scares and being ultimately frightened, you should check out the Nevermore Haunt in downtown Baltimore. Other fun venues not too far away from campus include Bennett’s Curse at the Eastpoint Mall, which has four independent walk-through attractions. And if you’re looking for haunted experiences with outdoor components, definitely check out the "Field of Screams Maryland” where you can go through a 30-minute walk in their haunted forest! 

Regardless of your interests and your fright tolerance, there is something for everyone to explore this spooky season. So go out, grab a few friends and enjoy the rest of this Halloween season!


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