Join us for Boo-Cause Reading’s Spookacular this month, as we talk about various spooky topics. We did a post with the full schedule and topics, so you can easily join in whenever you’d like.
Berls On Haunted Houses
Today I don’t actually have any book recommendations for you. Instead, I have a funny / embarrassing story to share. As most of you know, I’m a chicken. I scare super easy. I was not raised celebrating Halloween and I was never exposed to scary movies or anything like that. So as an adult, I started exploring the scary side of life. Haunted Houses were one of my first ventures into scary.
I was 19 and it was my first time celebrating Halloween. I had grown close to one of my co-workers and his family and they invited me to come along with them as they were taking their three kids (all under the age of 5) to this Haunted House Park we have out here. It’s this park where you pay 1 fee and you get access to like 15 Haunted Houses and there are booths setup with food to buy and souvenirs. Actors walk around scarring you. I thought, surely if they think it’s not too bad for their kids, I’ll be good. Right? Wrong.
I made it through the first few houses with just some screams. But we started with the not so scary ones. Eased our way in. By the 5th house I was grabbing my friend – a 6’5″ man – and practically launching him at the actors to keep him between me and the things that were scaring me. Someone would hop and scare us and I’d scream and pull him in front of me. Every time we turned a corner, my head was in his back. Meanwhile, his wife and 3 kids are laughing hysterically. Not just as me, but the scares. While I screamed, they laughed. A 4 year old laughed. At least they had a blast at my expense, right? I did laugh, too, but only when we finally got out of the houses.
Why did I keep going in? I had paid for a ticket to all 15 houses and I hate to waste money. Plus, everyone had told me that haunted houses weren’t really scary, they were just a quick jump and a laugh. So I was sure it would get easier.
The last house I went into – and I did not make it to all 15 – my friend (a very good sport who just laughed as I threw him in the line of danger), started making me go first somehow. It was more than I could take. I turned a corner to be met with a chain saw wielding actor. I screamed, jumped, and took off running all in within 2 seconds. I left everyone and ran straight through the house – which involved a few corridors and a flight of stairs. I think I finished 15 minutes worth of house in 2 minutes. I know I had time to breathe, stop shaking and get some nachos while I waited for my friend and his family to get out of the house. They finished the houses while I snacked and had a beer.
That was it for me and I’ve never returned to a Haunted House. I’m wondering if, when Dante gets older, I might brave them again so that he’s not quite as chicken a I am. Not sure. That might be something he can do with his dad, uncle, and big brother – they all enjoy things like Haunted Houses.
LOL, I can’t say for sure I wouldn’t be scared if I visited a haunted house…but since I love afterlife/ghost stories, I would like to . I mean, a supposedly real one. It would be interesting to see a ghost and maybe try to make a connection…(OK, that’s bravery on paper 😂).
A real haunted house would definitely do me in, since ones filled with actors had such an impact on me LOL!
Girl you need to watch more horror movies and listen to true crime. It makes you feel better about scary stuff lol.
Plus watch Face-Off a show from SyFy so you can watch how they do all the make up for scary stuff. Makes it easier to watch scary movies.
But everyone needs a good/fun scare once in a while!
I had a similar reaction the one and only time I did a Haunted House. I should have known I couldn’t handle anything called the ‘Barn of Blood’. Fun story, Berls!