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THURS.| 11-10-22 | OPINION
When all Hallow’s Eve comes about, there are numerous events associated with it that follow it. One being an event in which participants pay money to be tormented and frightened for a certain amount of time. Haunted Houses are usually a seemingly innocent scare for avid Halloween fans, but there is always something off about them to me. I think my feelings of uneasiness mainly come from the lack of strict regulation in haunted houses which could result in multiple injuries and trauma.
First of all, many haunted houses, especially the local ones, don’t even enforce individuals to sign a waiver. I know that the chances of a major injury occurring in a haunted house are extremely low, but letting people know what risks could take place is the right thing to do. I’ve personally been to a haunted house, a couple actually, and I cannot stand if an actor participating in
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the scare reaches out to touch me. Without a waiver or any permission granted, customers have no idea what they are signing up for.
Secondly, not to be annoying, but some people really do appreciate haunted houses for their display, such as decorations, makeup and costumes. There should be a way for people to experience haunted houses without being screamed at every five seconds and rushed to the exit. I know this may seem like the complete opposite of what a haunted house's purpose is, but I think many would be surprised as to how much work goes into setting up a haunted house and how people would appreciate being able to take their time to soak in the spooky atmosphere. To go along with my previous claim, haunted house goers should be allowed to take their time which could prevent injuries. What I mean by this is that there should be a rule within a haunted house that states no participants may run. However, when workers are rushing people to keep going and not hold up the line, there may be props, or people, throughout the path that create accidents.
Finally, I think some haunted houses, certainly the ones that are advertised the most, should have better security. What’s stopping one whackadoo from finding out there is a haunted house going on in his own city, dressing up, crashing the event and chasing people around with real weapons instead of the fake prop ones? Not much. Realistically, there are so many unchecked nooks and crannies within a haunted house where anybody could sneak in if they really wanted to. Most of the fear that stems from haunted houses is that they don’t know what could happen once they enter, but they only engage because they believe they are in a safe space no matter how scared they get. With limited security this safety is nowhere to be found.
While I know they aren’t that serious of an issue, fixing some disadvantages of haunted houses could ensure more people who partake in the Halloween tradition can have the same experiences as others.