Columbus-area haunted houses can still shock, scare visitors during COVID. Here’s how.
Do you want to take the blue pill or the red pill?
It’s not really a pill, it’s candy — but it’s an important question at the Quarantine Haunted House on Lumpkin Road.
Visitors who take the red pill will experience a hands-on, escape room-style battle complete with zombies and paintball guns. Owner Gadget Jackson warns that this route is not for the faint of heart: Zombies interact with thrill seekers as they make their way through pitch black rooms with screams, bangs and haunted music serenading them.
Those who choose the blue pill will enjoy a less hands-on, “PG-13” experience, Jackson said.
Whether it’s a traditional haunted house or adrenaline-pumping adventure, Halloween attractions in Columbus and surrounding areas are looking forward to a second spooky season in the midst of a pandemic as COVID-19 cases from the delta surge continue to fall.
How the pandemic affected haunted houses
When Jackson named his attraction “Quarantine Haunted House” nine years ago, he didn’t know he was being prophetic.
For the first few years of running the haunted house, the location hopped around the city. However, Jackson signed the lease of his business, The Moon Adventure Zone, in January 2020, giving him a permanent location for the haunted house.
When The Moon was ready to open its doors for parties, events and other entertainment in March, the world shut down.
“I didn’t even get to take advantage of my first year because I was dealing with a pandemic for the most part,” Jackson said.
During the haunted house’s run last year, convincing customers that it was safe to come out to the attraction presented a challenge, but Jackson said he was still able to attract a steady stream of visitors. There were some changes made to the haunted house to allow for more social distancing, he said, and his regular customers helped ensure a solid turnout.
Across the river in Phenix City, another haunted house’s new online presence helped it reach more people in the community and get through the holiday. The Canterbury Creepers Haunted House didn’t have an online presence at all in 2019, said Echo Dunn, the attraction’s webmaster. In early 2020, they began to develop a social media presence and a website to help spread the word.
The idea to build up Canterbury Creepers’ online presence came just before the pandemic began. When they built the site, it was meant to be a fun thing to do, Dunn said, and they didn’t expect a pandemic to hit in 2020. Previously, people knew about the haunted house through word of mouth.
“My dad is a vendor, and he talks to tons of people,” Dunn said. “That is how people found out about it. It started with people in the neighborhood and word just spread.”
Thanks to their work, Dunn said, the attraction didn’t see a decline in visitors.
“If anything, we had more — many that were new people all because of our online presence,” they said.
And for the first time, Canterbury Creepers opened for two days instead of one, a change the haunted house will keep for this year, Dunn said.
New challenges and adjustments
Operating a haunted house hasn’t changed much in the last year, Dunn and Jackson said, besides the obvious problems the pandemic brings: cleaning, social distancing and slowing the spread.
“At the beginning of 2020, we had no idea how COVID was going to affect us,” Dunn said. “We advised people to wear a mask and required everyone to sanitize their hands going in and out.”
At the Quarantine Haunted House, a maximum of four people are allowed in at a time because of the challenges and attractions within the experience. Small groups mean a higher level of safety from the virus, but the interactive “red pill” experience comes with more challenges and risk, Jackson said.
Supplies and labor were major barriers for both haunted houses.
Getting volunteers was a challenge, Dunn said. Canterbury Creepers is a free haunt with a volunteer work force. About 60 people signed up to volunteer in 2020, but only five or six participated, they said. This year, Canterbury Creepers has had about 15-20 people volunteer.
For Jackson, getting the supplies he needed to create the haunted house has been a challenge, a common experience among businesses due to disruptions in the global supply chain. Waiting on items like curtains, lights and other supplies necessary to build the house delayed opening the haunted house.
One way he worked around this issue is by using actors, actresses and live animals, such as snakes, rather than animatronics.
“Most of my actors and actresses are pretty crazy,” Jackson said. “But they’re real friendly, hands-on and they stick to the script in their role. They stay in character.”
Looking ahead to Halloween 2021
As Halloween approaches, the latest wave of COVID-19 cases fueled by the delta variant has trended downward throughout October.
As of Oct. 28, there have been 234 coronavirus cases reported in Muscogee County in the last two weeks, at a rate of 122 cases per 100,000 people. This is down from a Sept. 3 peak of 1,323 cases in a two-week period, at a rate of 690 cases per 100,000 people.
Public officials continue to encourage residents to consult with their doctors and get vaccinated to help combat another wave of the virus in the winter months. As of Oct. 28, 39% of Muscogee County residents were fully vaccinated, and 44% have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Dunn said Canterbury Creepers typically has about 1,000 people come visit the haunted house. This year, however, the haunted house is anticipating 1,200-1,400 people since the attraction will be open for two days, rather than one, they said.
When it comes to going out and visiting a haunted house, Jackson is optimistic. A lot of people are more comfortable coming back outside now that there are more safety measures, Jackson said.
“I’m expecting a crazy, crazy weekend (this Halloween),” he said.
Here are some of the Halloween attractions Columbus residents can enjoy this weekend:
The Canterbury Creepers will be open Saturday and Sunday from 5-9:30 p.m. (All ages)
The Quarantine Haunted House will run Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. (Ages 8 & up)
Pumpkins at Callaway will be open Friday and Saturday from 4-10 p.m., and Sunday from 4-9 p.m. (All ages)
Pope’s Haunted Farm will be open Friday and Saturday from 7:30-10 p.m. (Ages 12 & up, parent’s discretion)
This story was originally published October 30, 2021 at 8:00 AM.
