“Haunted Theater scared me so bad I almost punched one of the actors,” said 18-year-old biology major Josie Wall from Eatontown, discussing the annual event that has consistently earned Brookdale the title of New Jersey’s best haunted attraction as chosen by NewJerseyHauntedHouses.com.
“It was really scary, but I can’t wait to go again,” said Jocelyn Fajardo, an 18-year-old Brookdale student, describing what a walk through the Performing Arts Center is like these days.
Several students said they can’t wait to experience the 20-minute haunt. Others are savoring their experience.
“I attended the Haunted Theater here with a few friends and thought it was pretty cool,” said Peter Cestislaw, 20, a nursing student from Holmdel.
Chris Farkas, a 22-year-old undecided student from Marlboro, agreed. Admitting that Haunted Theater was “kind of scary,” Farkas said he “enjoyed it a lot.”
An enjoyable fright seems to be the point. At Brookdalehauntedtheater.com, potential visitors are asked, “Are you brave enough to take on the demented imaginations of our students’ minds?” And it promises, “Designed, built and run by past and present students, this tormented trip through body parts, evil creatures and more will redefine ‘stage fright’…FOREVER!!!”
Haunted Theater takes place 6:30 to 10 p.m. weekend nights through Oct. 27. Tickets are $20 with discounts available for students and must be purchased online at brookdalehauntedtheater.com.
Halloween is around the corner, and Brookdale students are figuring out what, if anything, they’ll do to celebrate. While Cestislaw also plans to go to a Halloween party in honor of spooky season, 21-year-old history major Scott Gannon from Hazlet said his celebrating will likely be limited to “handing out candy with my dad to trick-or-treaters.”
Dressing in costume is popular with many students; no wonder Spirit Halloween stores pop up all over. Popular costume ideas are movie characters and different jobs, such as police officer or motorcycle driver.
One student shared fond thoughts he still has of a costume he used to show his gratitude to a beloved teacher. “Back in high school, in my sophomore year, just before COVID, there was this substitute teacher in my high school,” said Cooper Ring, a 20-year-old social work major from Matawan. “He always wore this long trench coat, and he had put his hair in this giant pompadour and always wore rings. Whenever he substituted, he passed out stickers to students, very eccentric guy. Everyone liked him. That year I dressed up for him, as him, for Halloween. I won second place in the costume contest and lost to a really good Pennywise. I got a photo with him… He was ecstatic about it.”
“Halloween is the chance to dress up and express yourself through friends and costumes,” said Milan Ghosh, a 19-year-old biology major from Red Bank. “Any kind of obscure reference can come that day. Any sort of niche interest, you can really express that on Halloween, and it’s for like any sort of interest you have. It doesn’t have to be from a show or a game. It could be anything you imagine.”
“I love dressing up, putting effort into costumes, thrifting them or sewing them myself,” said Elias Butler, an 18-year-old psychology major from Matawan.
“I love how fun it is to see the different costumes, how creative people can be,” said Mairene Coneros, a 17-year-old nursing major from Long Branch.
Aida Berjasevic, a 20-year-old international student majoring in architecture, is originally from Montenegro, where Halloween isn’t celebrated as it is here. This will be her first year dressing in costume, she said.
“I’m going to be dressing up as a ghost. A Victorian ghost. It’s just fun dressing up and hanging out with my friends,” Berjasevic said.
Students said they would be sporting costumes for a variety of reasons, from trick-or-treating with siblings to attending costume parties. But some said they weren’t sure if they’d have an opportunity to dress up.
For students looking for a place where they can show off their costume, Brookdale is offering at least two options. Halloween Bingo, an on-campus event that features free food and prizes, will take place 6:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 23 in the Navesink rooms of the Student Life Center. On Halloween Day, Oct. 31, BCC will host Choosing A Major Shouldn’t Be Scary, a free fair in the SLC where students can learn about the spectrum of majors available at Brookdale. Both events will include costume contests; however, costumes are not required to attend.
“Usually Fright Fest doesn’t scare me, but this year it was really fun. My friend got so scared she almost peed her pants,” said Aidan Steele, an18-year-old biology major from Eatontown, who is among many BCC students who will visit Six Flags Great Adventure’s popular Fright Fest haunted attraction, which runs through Nov. 3.
“We usually go to Fright Fest every year and have a good time walking through the mazes and seeing our friends get scared,” said Rebecca Sanchez, 17.
While many seek out opportunities to be frightened, some students look forward to scaring others. “I’m just going to sit around and put on my military surplus outfit and scare off the trick-or-treaters,” said Alex Pinho, a 19-year-old auto technology student from Ocean Township.
Other students look forward to fright-free holiday traditions.
“There’s a harvest fest at my church that has a trunk-or-treat where people decorate their trunks for the little kids. They also have ax throwing and a bunch of free food. The pumpkin soup is pretty good there, too. I’m really excited for it this year,” said Noah Smock, an 18-year-old business administration major from Tinton Falls.
Hanz Khan, a 19-year-old mechanical engineering major, attended the pumpkin-carving event Student Life and Activities held earlier this month and thought he should have won.
“I lost, but honestly, I thought I was the most creative. I had hands, which was fun.”
Some students do not have any plans for Halloween. Samuel Paspuel, a 20-year-old criminal justice major from South River, said, “the struggle is real,” noting his current lack of holiday plans. Other students explained their religious beliefs keep them from celebrating while still others said they are simply too busy studying.
“I already had to make a lot of pumpkin spice lattes,“ said Paspuel about his job at Starbucks.
Scary movies are extremely popular, especially this time of year. “I love scary movies. I always watch them,” said Jack Moloney, a 22-year-old networking major from Oceanport. “But there is no better time to watch them than around Halloween. There is a certain feeling about it and a chill in the air.”