Haunted Hall of Horror packs Arena Building with frights and scares

Savannah Sides didn't want to be scared. At first.

With more than a dozen people in front of her in line at the Arena Building for the annual Haunted Hall of Horror, the 7-year-old said "not really" when asked if she liked being scared. But as Savannah waited alongside her cousin, River Smith, 6, and her aunt and River's mother DeAnna Sides and her companion Aric Kutz, she warmed up to the idea. "I wanna be scared," she said as the line shortened.

River was ready, too. He was eager for a fright. "I expect to see blood all the time, yes," he said when asked what awaited him and his cousin.

Once inside the darkened hallway and across the drawbridge that is lowered to admit each new guest, the horror movie-themed rooms with volunteer spooks were ready, Savannah's eyes grew large, and she shrieked in scared delight. As the group made its way through the maze, Savannah grew quiet but her grip on Kutz's arm, which began as holding hands, grew fierce.

"She just about broke it," he joked afterward.

A live band performs Friday, October 16, 2009, at the Arena Building's Haunted Hall of Horror in Cape Girardeau. (LAURA SIMON)

This year's Haunted Hall, the annual Halloween performance put on by the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department, began operations last Friday. The horror show resumes at 7 p.m. Friday. Doors are open until midnight Friday and Saturday and again Oct. 30 and Oct. 31, Halloween. The hall will also be open from 7 to 11 p.m. Oct. 29.

Heather Davis, a recreation coordinator for a little more than a year, gave the Southeast Missourian a preview before the lights went off. She showed off the movie-themed rooms that include staging scenes from "The Exorcist," "Psycho," "The Ring" and "Saw."

Davis, who has her own role in the horror show, said the job of coordinating the creative effort and construction is a little different from her regular job. Most of the time, she said, she's working with athletic leagues.

And she said she's had to overcome her own phobias to participate. "I'm scared of haunted houses," she said. "I will not go through any haunted houses except this one. I used to be the one who closed my eyes."

Davis was quick to credit her fellow recreation coordinators, material suppliers and the volunteer spooks who bring the ideas to life for making the haunted hall happen.

Penny Williams is the doorkeeper. It's her job to set the tone, which can include allusions to the horrors inside, as she did with the four girls who entered right in front of Savannah and River. Tiara Holloway, 12, Sequoia Holloway, 10, Jacki Gonzalez, 12, and Nasdani Gonzalez, 10, tried to act brave, but Williams gave them a shiver as she suggested they were headed to their doom.

When it was Savannah and River's turn, Williams spent time with DeAnna Sides -- Sides once worked for the parks department and had a role in the haunted hall -- and disputed River when he tried bravely to say it wasn't real. A creepy "Bye-Bye" and the group of four went inside.

Into the hallway, pursued by a ghoul on a tricycle, things seemed fine. But when an arm reached out from behind a picture, Savannah shrieked for the first time. Chases by chain saw wielding killers, a visit with to a bloody laundry and a room with a crazed clown brought additional shrieks.

When the group entered the hair salon and the woman with gory clippers asked "Can I cut your hair?", all Savannah could do was shake her head "no" with eyes like saucers and a grip that grew tighter.

As they made the final turn, and a light could be seen from outdoors, Aric Kutz sighed "We made it." It wasn't the end, however, and a final burst of fright sent Savannah and River running full speed to the parking lot.

River, who was eager for a fright, had had enough. But his cousin, who wasn't too thrilled with the idea at first, wanted more.

"I want to go in again right now," she shouted.

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

HAUNTED HAPPENINGS

Below is a list of haunted houses that have been submitted online. To add an event or find less frightening Halloween activites, go to semoEvents.com.

* Black Forest Village Haunted Ghost Town: A "spooktacular" tour. Adults $5, children 6 to 12, $3. Begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Oct. 30 and Oct. 31 at Black Forest Village, 2728 County Road 638.

* Haunted Hayrides: Get the scream scared out of you at Rocky Holler, County Road 303 in Jackson. Price $8. Opens at 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Oct. 30 and Oct. 31.

* Phobia Farm: Only fear grows at the haunted Phobia Farm at Beggs Family Farm, 2319 Route U in Sikeston, Mo. Price $15. Opens at 7 p.m. Saturday and Oct. 31.

Pertinent Address:

410 Kiwannis Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo.