Photo Credit | @PIKEATU on Instagram
Haunted houses are one of the most famous staples of Halloween. Yet I, a grown college student, have never gone to one before because I was too scared. However, this year, that changed. I decided that I would attend my first haunted house and it would be none other than Nightmare at McEver.
My friends and I decided to go to the haunted house on Halloween night. The two days prior were full of me making myself very anxious. I had no idea what to expect and was getting mixed reviews. I waited restlessly until the night finally arrived.
My friends and I originally planned to get there at 10 p.m., but the hosting frat, Pi Kappa Alpha, announced that the first 100 Tech students got in free. Naturally, we changed our plans and arrived at 7:45 pm.
My two friends and I were some of the first 100 students, so we got in for free. We received our ticket and took our seats as group number 22. I did not start freaking out until they got to group number 19. As they called our number, I took a deep breath and tried to remind myself that it wasn’t real. Unfortunately, this did not help.
My group of three joined a group of two and we walked into the pitch black room. One of my friends in the frat was working the event, and I knew he was going to slam the door behind us. I was prepared and covered my ears.
I was smack dab in the middle, which was perfect for me. We walked blindly from room to room only being led by scare actors, strobes, and red lights. At one point we got turned around so I went from grabbing my friends shirt, to the strangers’ in front of me. Luckily, she was very understanding. We stayed that way through the rest of the house.
There were clowns, masked monsters, bloodied girls and more screaming at us throughout the house. I calmed my nerves by poking fun at some of the actors. At some points, we were laughing and screaming back at them. I was very thankful that they stayed true to the waiver and did not touch us, but they did get in our faces. I tried not to close my eyes the whole time, because I wanted to truly experience it. I expected all of the jumpscares, so I was really just being fueled by my own anxiety and adrenaline.
After we got out of the haunted house, two workers greeted us and told us how to get out. It was very abrupt, but I knew it was not over. I warned those around me that we were about to be chased by people with chainsaws. I did this more to remind myself. One of the workers got really upset and said “Thanks for ruining it,” so I felt pretty bad after that. This, however, was not enough warning.
Though I fully expected it, something snapped inside of me. I think my fight or flight triggered when I heard the chainsaw rev up behind me. Everyone stayed behind while I bolted. The actor chased me from Hull to the library.
When my senses came to, and I realized I had made a fool of myself, I knew I needed to do something funny to play it off. I abruptly stopped and juked him as if I were playing basketball and headed back to my friends. We shared a laugh, thanked the group that we walked with, and headed on our way.
Unfortunately, it has been a second since I have been to the gym. The running and adrenaline quickly caught up to me and sent me into an anxiety attack. I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest. After sitting for 30 minutes, my resting heart rate was still 120 beats per minute.
It was only 8:30 but I decided to lay down and give my heart a rest for the remainder of the night. Overall, it was an interesting experience. Now that I know what to expect, I am inclined to try again next year to redeem myself. It was not the scariest thing that I have been through, but the last part really got to me.
It is safe to say that haunted houses are not for everyone. Especially not those who are faint of heart, have anxiety, or are sensitive to strobe lights. If your friends are making fun of you, then do not let it get to you.
All in all, Nightmare at McEver was an amazing experience. I was scared and embarrassed, but I am happy I went. Not one I would recommend to everyone, but definitely those that love a scare.
