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Barn scares kids, students to death
By Jacob Harrison
Collegian Reporter
Laughter and
fear, strange sisters, who rule the dark revelries of the carnival
season when masks of ghouls and goblins are drawn down, mix
images and memories of childhood fears, invited back in, to
stir the imagination with a heart-pound or a scream.
Fear is sometimes found to be
fun. At least, as long as one can believe there is nothing to
be afraid of. But many in Hillsdale are having trouble believing
that this Halloween, especially once they've entered the realm
of the Haunted Barn.
This peculiar barn, located at
the Hillsdale Fairgrounds, but seeming to lie somewhere between
the shadow of insanity and the gate of Hell's portal, has proved
a success agai n
this year. Hillsdale College and the Chamber of Commerce have
come together for their fifth season, to serve the community
by scaring the bejeezus out of kids of all ages.
According to Chris Olson, a student
volunteer, this year's event has caused over 30 people to lose
either bladder or bowel control, while approximately 12 were
at some point rendered immobile within the barn, and, too frightened
to continue, had to be guided back to the entrance.
"But many people will come
back for a second scare," Zachary Osborne, senior and the
director of this event, said.
Indeed, waiting in line outside
the barn is almost as unnerving as the barn itself. Echoes within
of loud horror music, clanking chains and zombie-moans are eclipsed
by the periodic blood-curdling shrieks of girls and kids. It
is also noteworthy that many who exit the barn are running rather
than walking.
It was a dark and stormy night-it
really was. We all stood uncomfortably in the line outside the
foreboding door, as two undead personages appeared and walked
among us with black eyes, chewing on what seemed to be a severed
human limb.
"That's gross," I thought,
"and disturbing."
But the Haunted Barn does not
rely on awe nearly as much as shock, with several jumps and
starts along the way, more likely to cause a reaction of screaming
or running madly and blindly into the darkness than a reaction
of throwing up.
This fact was born out in the
course of interviews conducted outside the barn, during which
I observed two teen girls sprinting away from the barn, out
the back exit and across the alley screaming bloody murder as
a demonic figure with a roaring chainsaw followed close behind.
Ignoring this, I asked Osborne
to explain the appeal of the Haunted Barn.
"This is an entertainment
service for the community," he said. "As you can see,
the chainsaw is a staple of any good haunted house. Also, darkness
is key. It is far more effective than relying too much on sound
equipment or lighting effects."
Sponsored by the Hillsdale Chamber
of Commerce ,
the Haunted Barn is a fundraising event that allows college
students an unusual way to pick up community service hours,
with proceeds distributed to various local charities, churches
and school programs.
"It's amazing what twisted
college students can come up with," junior volunteer Jessica
Lettieri said. "Many of us didn't realize how much fun
it could be to scare the living daylights out of these kids."
Osborne said that "keeping
it simple" has allowed them to offer admission at only
$5 a head-far cheaper than the common $15-$20 charged at haunted
houses across the state.
The Haunted Barn will be open
on Halloween night, as well as Nov. 1, the first hour of which
has been dubbed No Scare Night. This hour is an opportunity
for parents to take younger children or more timid adults through
the barn without great fear, as it will be set up for trauma-free
fun. Then, for the rest of the night, it will be horror as usual.
My scruples will not allow me
to encourage any soul to approach the Barn lightly, and I feel
compelled to relay a warning to all faint-hearted youths:
The Haunted Barn is a barn of
darkness. Many people who enter do not come out of it quite
the same. Some, I have heard, do not come out of it at all.
Happy Halloween.
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