Screams and laughter echoed through the dark halls on Saturday, October 29 as Community Council unveiled its very first Haunted Hilltop. Starting under the bridge, attendees enter Goodhue greeted by dimly lit hallways and loud chatters. Sophomore Philip Bonanno greets the guests and asks them to wait inside a classroom where groups of six to eight await a tour guide. From there, they are led through the lounge, math hallway, freshman hallway, and the courtyard decked with blood, hanging baby dolls, and dead bodies.

An “Enter here if you dare” banner welcomes the group into Goodhue. Underneath is a bellboy screaming every few seconds, staring at the attendees. They are led into the Media Room where a dead body sits up screaming its head off and goes back to lie down. Suddenly, piercing screams and laughter echo throughout the room as scarers jump out surprising the guests.

As the guests ascend the stairs leading up to the library, arms reach out at them as screams and laughter continue to fill the building. Entering the math hallway, guests are greeted by bodies draped in black sheets scattered around the floor, people banging on the study room doors, and students clad in black jumping from behind curtains.

Deprived of light save for the candles lining the walls, the freshman hallway and sophomore bubble proved to be the scariest of all. An already eerie location on campus, the dimly lit area and exposed pipes decked with deformed baby dolls hanging from the ceiling and students reaching from above the lockers produced the loudest screams and laughter.

Upon exiting the freshman hallway, the tour group is greeted by the brightly lit courtyard with light from Saperstein Hallway seeping through. Although loud, eerie music echoed throughout with a thin layer of fog set upon the place, the lack of scarers throughout the path brought the otherwise exciting and frightening experience to a weak close.

Although the turnout was low, it is safe to say Community Council’s first Haunted Hilltop was a success. Despite the disappointing walk through courtyard, the tour throughout the scream-filled Upper School brought surprise and laughter to all who attended.

Listen to the sounds of Hackley’s haunted hallways last Saturday night!

Take a tour through the beginning of the Haunted House below.