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Haunted house scares for charity

Students at The University of Memphis can simply follow the screams to the fifth annual Haunted House that will be held at the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house on Midland Avenue today and tomorrow.

The doors will “creak” open at 8 p.m. and close at midnight.

While all proceeds for the event will be donated to the American Heart Association, Mitch Jordan, a fraternity member, said this year’s haunted house is not for the faint of heart.

The organizers of the Haunted House said this year’s creation has additional fear factors and have dubbed the event “Fear to the Next Level.”

According to Rachel Rossen, a Pi Beta Phi sorority member and haunted house representative, last year’s haunted house caused six people to panic and leave in a state of shock.

Rossen added that one of Memphis’ 275 lb. linebackers was so disturbed that he had to be escorted out by the house volunteers.

Those individuals who risked entrance and remained inside were startled by screeching howls, spatters of earsplitting gunshots and howling masked figures with chainsaws.

The Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity has made an effort to surpass the special effects of the previous years and are boasting the most shocking funhouse yet.

Their goal has been to transform the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house into a domain of pure fright and shock in the midst of utter darkness.

The design of the haunted house was inspired by a cocktail of ideas from Six Flags, Walt Disney, and corporate haunted houses throughout the United States. A variety of campus sororities and fraternities have been designated a segment of the haunted house and have decorated the rooms with themes ranging from “The Mummy Returns” to “Hell on Earth.”

“We re-imagined the whole thing,” said Jordan, Sigma who is also a member of the Walt Disney World College Program. “We came up with an original haunted house for the young, and those who are young at heart.”

Those who have defective hearts are benefiting the most from this event as all proceeds from the entrance fee will be donated to the American Heart Association. Entrance costs are $3 with a college ID. In the previous years over $3,500 in profits were raised, and this upcoming Halloween event is expected to yield at least $5,000.

“Last year they were lined all the way up to Patterson,” said Jordan, chairman of Fear to the Next Level. “This time security will be there for crowd control because I don’t think the frat house is ready for this magnitude of people.”

Despite the forseeable chaos of massive crowds and alarm, certain restrictions will apply. “In order to be safe, we came up with two rules,” said fraternity member Tim Swift. “No touching the actors, and the actors can’t touch you”.

In an attempt to keep the atmosphere jovial and pleasant, the volunteers have invited a celebrity judge to rate the best room and have created a Walt Disney room with Mickey Mouse distributing candy.


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