The Eagle Eye

Haunted Mansion Returns: Grand opening for ghostly hangout.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007 By Cameron C.

October 12th, was the first day that The Haunted Mansion, located in Quietwoods South Campground, was open and it was a blast. All the profits of the Haunted Mansion will go toward the Southern Door Community Auditorium, and will benefit the Southern Door Music Department. This year, The Haunted Mansion is back with a brand new maze, five new rooms (14 compared to last year’s 9), an expanded trail outside, and whole new scares. Last year was the grand opening of The Haunted Mansion; it took an investment of $10,000 dollars to get it started. In the nine days the mansion was open, 1,800 people passed through, creating a total profit of $4,000. It’s going to take a while to find out the profit as of now, but they estimate it will be $4,500-$5,000. The Haunted Mansion had around 450 volunteers last year, this year there were only 300 volunteers. Some jobs for volunteers include acting in the mansion, running special effects, working the trail, doing makeup and costumes, or hospitality (providing food for workers on break). This year The Haunted Mansion features the story of a murder in the town of Gardner. There are a couple fears people will have to face including claustrophobia and fear of heights. The laboratory, a favorite room of last year, is also back with a new “twist”…you’ll have to find out for yourself. This year the top 5 rooms are claustrophobia, vortex tunnel, dungeon, kitchen, and laboratory. One thing to look out for at the Haunted Mansion is the last scare. “The last scare is what people will be talking about,” warned Corey Vandertie, one of the creators of the mansion. So far there have been 2000+ people over the last 3 weeks, and it still has one more week! Their goal was 2,500 and it looks like they’re going to make their goal. In an effort to meet this goal they have spent about $4,000 on advertising. That includes billboards, radio ads, and posters. They’ve also spent about $4,000 on the actual mansion and its special effects. Many people commented that they enjoyed it even more than Terror on the Fox, which is rated one of the top ten houses in the nation. Many people have left the house in tears, which means the actors are doing their job entertaining with outrageous scares. Corey Vandertie says “Volunteers have been incredible – giving their time and talent without expecting anything in return”. They have a new addition to the house, the wall of survivors. If you make it through the whole mansion you will be able to sign your name on this wall and it has been a big hit. Another Halloween has come and gone, so if you missed it you'll have to wait until next year. See you then.