By Lizabeth Jenkins-Dale
Please note: There are multiple events happening at The Soo Theatre Project: (1) The Haunted Theatre will be open starting at 5 p.m. Friday, October 25. Tickets are $2 a person. (2) Saturday, October 26, is the Upper Peninsula Paranormal Research Society’s Fright Fest Movie Marathon from noon to midnight. Tickets are $10. (3) For those participating with the Zombie Walk For Autism, which begins at the Valley Camp and ends at The Soo Theatre Project, tickets for both the Zombie Walk and the Haunted Theatre are $7. (4) Tickets for all three events, Haunted Theatre, Zombie Walk, and the Fright Fest Movie Marathon, are $15.
According to The National Retail Federation, Americans are expected to collectively spend $6.9 billion on Halloween costumes, candy, and decorations this year. Obviously many people enjoy dressing up, sharing sweets, and experiencing a good scare. But, you don’t have to spend $6.9 billion to enjoy Halloween at The Soo Theatre Project’s Haunted Theatre!
On Friday, October 25, during the Downtown Development Authority’s Halloween Trick or Treat event, for $2 a thrill-seeker can enter The Soo Theatre Project for a spooky, but not too spooky, Haunted Theatre experience or can excite the senses to the max with the super spooky Haunted Theatre experience. (A parent wishing to enter the less spooky thrill with a child and the spookier experience without a child can do so with the purchase of one ticket for the parent and one ticket for the child. Please see the ticket booth for more information.)
Before you make the decision which scare thrill you’d like to experience, allow me to tell you about the history of this “terrifying” creation at The Soo Theatre Project. Last week’s article highlighted the Flickinger family, whose entire family has volunteered at the historic theatre on Ashmun Street for years. This is the same family who has been helping to create, produce, staff, and organize the Haunted Theatre since 2009. And, each year it keeps getting better and better!
The first Haunted Theatre was just half of the main hallway. Today, the Haunted Theatre encompasses the entire theatre auditorium, surrounding hallways, and the foyer. Last year the Haunted Theatre went all out with special effects, sound effects, and spooky lighting due to the arrival of The Soo Theatre Project’s Technical Director Paul Olson. When he’s not writing a new novel, Paul can be found at the theatre working on the sound and lighting system, preparing for the next concert, performance, and production, which means, at this time of the year, he’s working on the Haunted Theatre with the Flickinger family!
The Haunted Theatre is staffed with drama students from Sault Area High School, due to a coordinated effort between Kathy Flickinger and Lauren Moore, the high school drama teacher. Students have the opportunity to perform as characters to scare thrill-seekers daring to enter the Haunted Theatre and also perform as mannequins in the storefront windows of the theatre. In addition, STARS dance students, STARS summer camp members, Malcolm High School students, Girl Scouts troop members, as well as The Soo Theatre Project’s board members, staff, and volunteers will offer their time to scare you!
As for the intense thrill seekers … you can expect to encounter known movie characters and your worst nightmares as you wind through the dark passages, nooks, and crannies of the historic (or is it haunted?) theatre.
So, come see where the action will be – those nervous before entering and those gasping for breath after exiting. Are they laughing or freaking out? Plus, free popcorn for everyone!
We are most thankful for the Flickinger family’s willingness to volunteer hours and hours to “resurrect” this fun event so that it comes “alive” each year and frightens as many people as possible. It seems the Flickinger family has a knack for decorating for specific reasons, so creating, producing, staffing, and organizing The Soo Theatre Project’s Haunted Theatre is right up their alley!
NOTE: For photos from last year’s Haunted Theatre and Zombie Walk, click here.
A version of this article was originally published in the Soo Evening News on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013.
