Students attended “Halloween Haunts” at Pemberton Hall Thursday, Friday and Saturday for scares and excitement.

Dara McGee, a freshman undecided major, was a member of the haunted S.S. Pemberton crew. McGee is the Residence Hall Association representative for Pemberton’s Hall Council, so she said she feels like getting involved in the haunted house was not only her joy but also her duty to her hall.

“We’re supposed to help out our halls. First of all, I love haunted houses. I’ve only been to one, but I was really impressed with the decorations and the people and the acting, and I wanted to be a part of that,” McGee said. “I like to do acting on the side so I thought I would kind of brush up on that as well with also helping out the hall.”

McGee said she loves the hall and figures if banging on the walls and scaring people is all it takes to make the hall even more well known, she is glad to be a part of it. The Pemberton ghost story also adds to the fun, McGee said.

“It mixes with the elements,” McGee said, “It excites people. It scares people. So I think that definitely helps out the haunted house.” McGee said she loved Halloween decorating, because even though it can be stressful, it is very satisfying at the end.

McGee said she already is making plans for what to do for next year and cannot wait to participate again, regardless of what hall she gets assigned to.

Abbi Chacon, a sophomore history major, helped make the jellyfish that hung throughout the haunted house. She also took charge in spreading the news of the haunted house to as many people as possible.

Leading up to the haunted house, Chacon said the hall had an All Hallows’ week, which included fall activities such as pumpkin painting and a murder-mystery spaghetti dinner. The connections you make with people is the best part for the volunteers working the haunted house, Chacon said.

“Some of these people you don’t really see, like people who are on other floors, or you see them in person and don’t ever really get a chance to talk to them,” Chacon said. “Here, and when you do stuff like this, it really gets you involved with other people and makes more connections.”

Abby Benson, a freshman elementary education major, and Avery Norris, a freshman Spanish education major, said they came to see what was going on in Pemberton after hearing about it in their classes.

Benson said she is not good with scares but was willing to go anyway given the haunted boat theme and all the hype.

“I’m hoping it’ll be a good experience because I want to have fun,” Benson said. “It has the potential to be scary. So, I’m excited to see what comes of it.”

Norris said the crosses out front were what drew her in. Norris said she has been to several haunted houses and thought this one would be good because of the historical building it was in.

“We’ve never been in Pemberton before,” Norris said. “So we’re seeing what is on campus.”

After making the journey through the “haunted ship” Benson said it was even scarier than she expected.

“There were a lot of people jumping out at you,” Benson said. “The mermaid part was cool because she threw red paint on the wall and it looked like blood. It’s just a different experience. You don’t get the chance to go to a haunted house every month. I think it’s something that helps (you) get into the Halloween mood.”

Norris said both she and Benson screamed when people jumped out at them. However, she also said that the people jumping out and screaming at them was the best part.

“I’ll come back again because it was quick and fun to do,” Norris said. “It was something fun to do with the people on campus.”

The haunted house raised $332 for Housing, Outreach, Prevention and Education of East Central Illinois.

Chrissy Miller can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].