“I scared one of my teachers at a haunted walk that I worked at. I had to apologize the next day for traumatizing his young daughter,” said Jake Longo, a 19-year-old psychology major from Howell.
Longo isn’t the only BCC student with memorable Halloween stories and plans. Among the most excited are the volunteers working at Brookdale’s Haunted Theater which returned to the PAC this year after a one-year pandemic hiatus.
“I can’t wait to jump out and scare people. The actors have also worked hard, and everyone is going to love it,” said Emma Cardillo, an 18-year-old undecided majority from Manalapan, working on Haunted Theater. “I’m excited to see the audience’s reaction to the amazing sets that were built… There was so much hard work put into it and each room looks uniquely different and awesome!”
Longo is among the many people looking forward to checking out the dark, scary maze in the Performing Arts Center. “I want to see if they are better than me at scaring since I have done something like it before,” he said.
Haunted Theater takes a lot of different people to come together. Many students have signed up to contribute to the event with volunteer labor and donations. Those participating in Haunted Theatre were asked for their input on what they expect and what they’re excited to see from the performance. A majority expressed how much they are looking forward to seeing an audience for the first time in a while and that they’re happy that their hard work will culminate in this “haunted” experience.
“Haunted Theatre is gonna be taking up a lot of my time,” said Greg Friel, a 19-year-old computer science major from Rumson. However, he also plans on “watching some movies with friends” for the holiday.
Haunted Theatre runs weekends through Oct. 30. Tickets are available at https://www.simpletix.com/e/brookdale-haunted-theater-tickets-76774 (Links to an external site.). Tickets are not available at the door and cost between $15 and $20, but $5 tickets are available for students.
On Oct. 12 BCC students were given an opportunity to carve a pumpkin and enter a contest. Those who visit the SLC can vote on the best pumpkin.
“I liked that Brookdale was advertising an event to socialize since so much of school surrounds academics,” said Sara Hosbach, an 18-year-old undecided major from Freehold who said customizing her pumpkin was fun. “It’s nice to have time to relax. I would love to attend all the events Brookdale has to offer!”
“I would have liked to attend Brookdale’s pumpkin carving had I even known it was going on,” said Ian Lynch an 18-year-old video production major from Howell. Instead, Lynch said he will be celebrating the holiday another way. “It’s a tradition for me to watch ‘Halloween,’ the original 70s movie.”
“I am not planning to go to any of Brookdale’s Halloween events, instead I’ll be hanging out with my friend at Casola Farms and doing Halloween activities there such as hayrides, corn mazes, the haunted house, and pumpkin picking. I am most looking forward to the haunted house and having a good time with my friend,” said Diana Guglielmo, an 18-year-old undecided major from Aberdeen.
Casola Farms’ “Fall Fest” offers a wide variety of events ranging from pony rides to a haunted house. They also offer a petting zoo, hayrides, a corn maze, and a haunted sunflower maze. Reservations are not required as tickets can be purchased on site at 178 Route 34 in Holmdel, NJ 07733. Each event is $6.
Many BCC students are heading to Fright Fest at Six Flags in Jackson this season, including some who go multiple times. “I’ve attended two to three times this year and plan on going again on Saturday,” said Chris Locicero, an 18-year-old fine arts major from Freehold.
Fright Fest runs through Oct. 31. Tickets can be purchased on site or at https://www.sixflags.com/greatadventure/events/fright-fest?gclid=Cj0KCQjwqp-LBhDQARIsAO0a6aJVNnNUjhXzF0-A3SyerlLxJpyCn7iQLvfff_IzqVK-6VUCtYB8eswaAsB0EALw_wcB#tickets Covid protocols will be in place.
Many students are currently planning the costumes they’ll wear to parties, work or just to give out candy to trick-or-treaters.
“Me and my friends are all dressing up as the minions from squid games. Or guards I’m not sure what to call them. I still haven’t finished the series, but we all agreed we’re doing it, so I can’t back out,” said Nick Bruno, a 19-year-old undecided student.