Halloween will soon be among us, but we shouldn’t wait until the 31st to get our spook on. This week, many associations and student organizations are organizing activities to celebrate Halloween. The Asociación de Estudiantes de Drama en la Educación, also known as AEDE, has set up a Haunted Hospital so the students can tune into their Halloween spirit. I decided to visit it on its opening date, October 22nd, so I could explore their dark and twisted secrets in the mysterious hospital.
Photo retrieved from AEDE’s Facebook page
The St. Malek’s Hospital for Lost Souls (Hospital San Malek de las almas perdidas) is located on the third floor of the Student Center. It’ll be there until October 26. Their doors are open from 6 to 10pm, and their entrance fee is just $1 per person. Once you go in, you’re assigned a quest: to find three polaroids. Contrary to how it seems, it’ll prove to be a difficult task.
As I headed to the third floor, I could already hear piercing screams and the strident noise of a chainsaw. From the set AEDE members built, a living doll waved, almost mechanically, at us. Her smile never wavered. The broken doll guarded the entrance. Once we approached her, she warned us on some of the chilling events that had transpired in the hospital, from a bloody, cannibalistic massacres to an even more bloody, and forceful birth.On the table, newspapers and police reports detailed some deaths that had occurred in the hospital. There were also glow sticks, to use for protection when visiting the hospital, and candy, to appease our jitteriness. The screeches coming from inside instilled fear in my friends and me.
As we went in, we were greeted by gore and violence. There were many different rooms with a variety of characters and scene; they all had one purpose, though: to scare us. There was chaos everywhere. Dolls hung around, highlighted the eerie and suspenseful environment; the flashing of light made my heart race. The inclusion the characters bring, from talking to the passersby to following or separating them, heightened the experience.
Photo provided by AEDE member, Adriana S.
Amidst all the different scenes, the loudness and the horror, my friends and I forgot look for the polaroids. So, after some debating, we mustered up the courage to revisit the hospital. The second time, we found four of them (we got an extra one)! Frankly, it was very fun both times; although I’d already become familiar with the environment, I still felt the adrenaline and suspense the second time.
Photo provided by AEDE member, Adriana S.
If you get the chance, you should definitely visit AEDE’s Haunted Hospital this week. You will appreciate the amount of work and dedication the association put into this activity. Become involved in the creepy narrative of St. Malek’s Hospital for Lost Souls and beware what you may encounter!