Killer clown and run-down rooms, students shrieked their way through ACBU’s Haunted Tour on Oct. 29.
The Haunted Tour was hosted in the Caterpillar Global Communications Center (GCC) Studio and the basement of the student center. The locations were transformed into scenes filled with stories, jumpscares and spooky decorations, with each room revolving around a specific theme.
“We had a lot of free reign when it came to this,” Ben Reitmeier, an event coordinator, said.
Several members of ACBU served as tour guides, leading students from room to room while telling chilling stories. The GCC Studio was decorated to appear abandoned, following the plot of a news anchor who was murdered by his coworker. Suspenseful music played as students slowly made their way through the studio, preparing for the jumpscares induced by the sounds of chainsaws and car horns.
The transformation of the student center’s storage room was inspired by Stephen King’s “It.” The room featured the famous red balloons of the story’s antagonist Pennywise. Students held the balloon while saying the memorable line of the film, “You’ll float, too.”
Although other organizations on Bradley’s campus have hosted similar events in the past, this was ACBU’s first event that resembled a haunted house, according to event coordinator and junior accounting and management information systems double major Makayla Horn.
“I think that a lot of students who have come through have really enjoyed it,” Horn said. “It’s definitely something we’d keep in mind for events around Halloween in the future.”
Even though it was the first of its kind, there seems to be ideas already being brainstormed for next year.
“This was a really fun idea,” Reitmeier, junior history major, said. “I really loved bringing the haunted house vibe to Bradley. I’d like to see it become even bigger next year [and] maybe branch out to other buildings and get some more organizations involved.”
Despite the inclement weather, Reitmeier said there was a good turnout. Having the event indoors and using golf carts to transport students between the two buildings prevented the weather from having an impact on the event.
“I couldn’t believe how many people were really excited,” Reitmeier said. “It’s really great to see the involvement here. Maybe this will become a Bradley tradition.”
