“I was petrified. I was shaking with fear. There was a jump scare at every corner,” said Brookdale student Justin Brown.
Brookdale’s Haunted Theater, which opens for its 19th season on Oct. 14, has been rated Best Overall Attraction in New Jersey three years in a row on NJHauntedHouse.com.
“The collaboration of Brookdale students, staff, alumni and community members, is what makes such an amazing, successful production,” said Performing Arts Center Supervisor Sherri Vanderspiegel. “Their dedication and creativity are what generates great feedback, year after year.”
The multi-award-winning horror attraction takes place 7:30 to 10 p.m. Oct. 14-16, 21-23, 28-30 in the Performing Arts Center on the Lincroft campus; parking is recommended in lot 2.
This year’s theme is “Impending Doom.” Each spooky scene will be designed for guests to puzzle over and interpret on their own. Those brave enough to enter are invited to live their greatest fears through themed mazes, black out zones, special effects and frights in every corner, Vanderspiegel said.
The haunt takes place in a theater; however this is not a seated event where guests watch the stage. This is a 20-minute, self-guided, walk through.
“This is my seventh year participating in the Brookdale Haunted Theater. We’re a family here at the Performing Arts Center. As a stunter in the production, I’m a ground slider and I walk on stilts. This type of work is physically taxing on your body and it hurts, but when I wake up in the morning after a hard practice, I immediately want to do it again. When the show closes at the end of October, I get super sad. I always want to keep going,” said Brenden Gillespie, a PAC executive board member.
General admission tickets are being sold exclusively online and in advance for $20 at www.brookdalehauntedtheater.com. In person, door sales are not available for regular admission tickets; however, BCC students can buy two tickets for $10 at the PAC box office. There are no refunds. All sales are final.
The scheduled time slots presented on www.brookdalehauntedtheater.com reduce wait time; however, they do not eliminate a wait time. Rules will be read aloud before entering the haunt and can be reviewed in advance on the website.
For more questions and concerns email [email protected]
For behind the scenes entertainment, check out @brookdalehauntedtheater on Tiktok and @hauntedtheater on Instagram.