Cape's fear - Haunting traditions return to area

Because you can't see, you suddenly become aware of your other senses.

The basement's musky odor invades your nostrils and swarms your lungs like a spirit.

Above you and around you, screams, moans and dark laughter pierce the silence.

Inside your chest, your heart pumps faster and harder.

Thump, thump. Thump, thump. Thump, thump.

You see nothing but darkness. You feel nothing but darkness.

You grip the hand of your significant other and, with your other hand, you feel along the wall. Your vision rendered useless, the cold concrete is your only guide through the long, black corridor. Slowly, you take one small step and then another, and then another. Something is right in front of you. You just know it.

It's at this moment that Scott and Penny Williams have you right where they want you. And you didn't get there by accident.

The Williamses, both recreation supervisors with the city of Cape Girardeau, have been the key organizers of the Haunted Hall of Horror since 1991. During that time, with the help of scores of volunteers and other city employees, they've unleashed festive horror upon thousands and thousands of people.

But scaring people is not easy. Hundreds of hours of labor and hundreds of warped, twisted thoughts go into such a project.

"It's cool. We get excited about it," said Penny Williams, who can unleash one loud and disturbing high-pitched cackle. "It's in our blood."

This year's Haunted Hall of Horror begins tonight at 7 and is open until 11. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for children 12 and under. On Friday and Saturday night, it will be open until midnight.

The Haunted Hall of Horror, usually known as the A.C. Brase Arena Building, is one of two staged haunted houses in the area. The other is at Black Forest Village, four miles north of Cape Girardeau. It runs from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

While the Haunted House of Horror has the ambiance of a dungeon, the Haunted Ghost Town at Black Forest has a "Blair Witch" feel to it. A long, gravel road leads to the village, hidden deep within the woods.

Penny Williams thinks about the haunted house year-round. While Scott is in charge of much of the construction, many of the ideas come from Penny. She says props usually generate ideas, and workers are always on the lookout at auctions and garage sales for unusual, potentially spooky things.

One day, while driving around, she noticed a barber's chair sitting in an open field. She gave the owner of the house $15 for it. Now it serves as an electric chair.

"Bzzzzzzzt! Aaaaaaagh!" Penny said, mimicking as she demonstrated the chair-sitting technique.

The city gets a lot of help from Southeast Missouri State University's fraternities and sororities. As many as 40 volunteers from Alpha Phi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi and Delta Delta Delta -- fulfilling some of their community service requirements -- will morph into all sorts of creatures during the next two weeks. Other creatures of a less scary nature will help with crowd control.

Parks and recreation workers from all the parks divisions have chipped in, Scott Williams said. About 80 people have put some work into the Hall of Horror, some working 12- and 13-hour days. The construction began Monday and was to continue into the early morning hours Thursday. The entire setup is completed in 3 1/2 days, although it is much easier to assemble now after 11 years of experience. It's cheaper, too, as the city has collected a variety of props. Many of the items are donated, including real coffins.

Greg Macke, the organizer of the Haunted Ghost Town and one of the tour guides who dresses in a grim reaper costume, shares similar experiences. The event, which draws about 1,000 people a weekend, can only be done with a lot of help, he said. Macke said he worked on his project 80 hours last week and had a lot of help from several friends and relatives. His brother-in-law took a week off work to help. His wife and sister-in-law do a lot of the decorating and come up with many of the ideas.

Though a lot of labor and money is put into the Haunted Hall of Horror, the city makes about $3,000 per year on the project, Scott Williams said.

Last year, 4,464 people visited the Hall of Horrors with the city taking in $12,600. The city usually spends between $6,000 and $9,000 on the project. Scott Williams said $8,000 was budgeted to spend on this year's haunted house.

To the Williamses, though, it's more about scaring people than making money. And the entire crew has done just that the last few years.

Amy Roth, a recreation coordinator, has been part of the horror act for the past several years. She said some people have been so scared, they couldn't control their bladders.

Others simply fall to the floor and cover their heads.

And there is screaming. Lots of screaming.

"If you've got a good group and you know they're scared, you mess with them," Roth said.

bmiller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127