In the weeks leading up to Halloween, the once quiet town of Powell was forever changed. For years, the PHS theater class has brought Powell a haunted house, but this year, it was an experience like no other.

The foolish mortals who dared to enter were greeted by disembodied spirits who presented them with their worst nightmares. Now, instead of being the observers of the horrific tales, they were living it. With no screen to hide behind, only the bravest of souls could enter and make it out alive.

The PHS theater class, with the help of Jeff and Christy Graham, teamed up with Habitat for Humanity to bring the residents of Powell a scare to remember.

On the Friday and Saturday leading up to Halloween, as well as the haunted night itself, the lives of many were altered.

For three weeks, the PHS theater class had been working diligently to bring to life the horrors we only see in movies.

“Last year the theme was fairytales; this year the theme is horror movies,” senior Kenadee Bott said. “There are Stephen King movies. There are terrifying video games that turn into movies – all that kind of stuff.”

General admission for the event was $8, but if you brought a can of food, you got a dollar off. All donations from the haunted house were split between the PHS theater class and Habitat for Humanity.

Since the expectations for the event were high, and the money was going towards a good cause, my friends and I decided to experience the horror first hand and film it.

Although many had the opportunity to go through an “extreme” version, some kindly declined. In this extreme version, the characters were allowed to make physical contact with every member in the group as long as one member was wearing a glow stick. Although the offer sounded appealing, one group decided, as high school kids, it would be an embarrassment if they left crying.

After extensive preparation and the cleansing of our souls, they were ready to enter… well sort of.

This group had prepared themselves for the scare of a lifetime, and the terrifying characters delivered. Let’s just say many were all scared to go to sleep that night.

Now if you don’t take our word for it, take our screams instead and watch the video.