To quote Chanel Oberlin: “I own Halloween.” I am all about scary, creepy, and weird things. I love exposing myself to that adrenaline rush that comes with fear. Each October my friends and I set aside one weekend where we travel to multiple haunted houses in NJ and NY in search of some good old fashion scares. It’s one of the things that I love about October. Alyssa, on the other hand, is not the biggest fan of scary things. I’ll let her explain her thoughts on the things that go bump in the night.
- Yes, as Mike said I am not a fan. I prefer safety, comfort, and a general feeling of contentment with the world. I do not like scary movies or scary situations. I’m all about Halloween but on a more let’s-drink-hot-coco-or-cider-on-a-cold-night-and-watch-Hocus-Pocus type level.
However, this year I made it my mission to expose Alyssa to the horrors of the Halloween season. We watch scary movies now, and to top it all off we (along with our roommate Phil) went to NYC Haunted Hayride. The infamous hayride, that is also located in Los Angeles, has a reputation for being terrifying. Hey, Alyssa, what did you think about going to this hayride?
- I was not about it from the beginning if I’m being honest here. I really hate scary things so the thought of paying money to be scared by various things was naturally not very appealing. Although I must say that I feel as though this is a solid representation of how great of a friend I am for actually agreeing to go.
Before we knew it we were walking up to the bright orange lights and fog of the hayride along with a “black out maze”. We decided to do the hayride first and save the maze for later, as we entered the wagon I took notice of the fact that there were actually no piles of hay that one sat on, instead it was just hay spread all over the wagon and you sat directly on the wagon itself. It all made sense as to why this was case once we approached the first section of the maze which was a circus theme and the clowns came right up to the side of the wagon, forcing people into the middle of the wagon to escape. While not overly scary, the overall design and precision of the hayride was good. The ending part was the scariest, where they actually draped a black cloth over the wagon and actors popped up underneath it for the ultimate scare. Everything was timed wonderfully, and the make-up was masterfully executed. Shout-out to the burned nuns section! But, let’s hear from someone who almost broke my hand because she was holding it so tight….
- Ok let’s be real, I was one with the hay by the end of this ride. I am naturally jumpy on top of hating scary things so this was unsurprisingly not my cup of tea. I felt ok, almost secure about being in the tractor trailer until the actors sensed my fear and started coming right at me. I was holding onto both of my roomies pretty tight (but in my defense they forced me into this so what’s a little pain in comparison, right?) as I subconsciously buried myself deeper into the hay throughout the course of the ride. Also that black cloth thing was the worst and I high key closed my eyes and I’m not even mad about it, ok.
While I was not scared by the hayride, I was utterly terrified by the black out maze. The maze was pitch black with a strobe light flashing all around us, and random actors jumping out from around corners. I genuinely screamed and at one point all three of us ended up in a huddle trying to hide from the horror.
- Ok, let’s start out with the fact that after scanning our tickets the woman welcoming us into the maze referred to us as “victims.” Already not great. Then the actual maze itself. Dark, scary, confusing, and full of hidden corners for terrifying surprises. Again, I was clinging to the roomies for safety. I was all screams and nervous laughs. I made the mistake of saying out loud how much one of the actors had scared me and that creepy little guy then followed us around multiple corners. Not a fan. No. Nope. Definitely not.
“It’s Halloween, everyone’s entitled to one good scare.”Overall, it was a fun night out with my best friends and roommates. It’s always more fun to be scared with friends, I would go back if only for the maze and I’m sure Alyssa would be down for one more round? Maybe Eastern State Penitentiary next year?
- You know what, it was a fun night out together. Would I do it again or venture into the realms of scarier situations? Probably not. I am the type of person who will argue that Pride and Prejudice or Ever After could be considered Halloween films because there are costumes involved to try to get out of watching a traditional, horror based Halloween movie, so I think there’s only so much you can ask of me here. Overall, I am glad I went and got to spend some quality roomie time doing something both Mike and Phil enjoy, even if that means my throat being a little sore from screaming or that I may sleep with a nightlight on for the next few days.