The Wesley Foundation Haunted House is back after a year-long break, so students should prepare to get terrified Oct. 29 and 30!
The event will guide guests through dimly lit rooms and tight corridors in the Cullowhee United Methodist Church. College students dressed in costumes and makeup will work hard to give the guests scares worth their time and money. Each of the 10 rooms will feature a unique theme, bringing back favorite rooms from previous haunted houses.
The event will raise funds for the Wesley Foundation, a Methodist student group building connections among students and contributing to the local community.
The campus minister Jay Hinton said fundraising is only one reason the Foundation organizes the event.
“It’s kind of a community service that we provide to our local area,” Hinton said. “It’s a non-threatening way for people to come into a church building…People are always amazed that there’s a church doing a haunted house cause they feel like those things don’t really go together.”
The Haunted House was canceled last year because of COVID-19. Before then, it had been held every Halloween night for 11 years. The group is anxious to run the event again, but they also need to make sure their students and guests will be stay safe.
According to Hinton, guests will be required to show proof of vaccination, wear a mask, and wait in their car to be called into the church in addition to the $5 fee. These measures will send guests quickly through the building, ensuring they don’t share air for long.
“It’s not as friendly as we would like,” Hinton said.
Due to these measures, plans to give the event an overarching story were scrapped, but guests can still except thrills if they attend the Haunted House—provided they’re brave enough to enter.
