Are you afraid creepy crawlers? You will be in for a scare if you attend Mozart’s House of Horrors, the annual Haunted House in Parotti Hall. This year’s theme is Venom.
Bryant Chaffino is WNMU’s music program coordinator and director of Mariachi La Plata. Chaffino started working for WNMU six years ago, when he was asked by the university if he could help to rebuild this music program. He is the current advisor for MECHA, WNMU’s longest standing club organization. “This year MECHA has been thriving more than ever and I’m very proud of that,” Chaffino said.
Mozart’s House of Horrors is in its fourth year, each year growing in popularity. Admission is $5.00 per person. The Mustang asked Chaffino to reveal some secrets about the upcoming event which will take place from October 31 through November 2 from 8:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. in Parotti Hall.
Q: What is the Haunted House theme this year?
A: This year’s Mozart’s House of Horrors theme is Venom. This includes everything that is poisonous. We also incorporated creepy crawlies like snakes, spiders, scorpions, and rats. We come up with the ideas for the haunted house by focusing on phobias that people have. You have to see everyone as an individual. You will see things to make your skin crawl! We are investing time and effort into this one and it’s going to be pretty big.
Q: How many people do you anticipate attending this event?
A: I hope for 200-300 people a night. The haunted house will be open for three nights. We are hoping 900-1000 people get to go through our haunted house this year.
Q: What is the purpose of the haunted house?
A: This is the biggest fundraiser for the music program. It gives us a mental break from music and the academics. It gives students something to do and it gives the community another venue to visit. It is also something different and exciting to do on Halloween night. We have fun scaring Grant County!
Q: What motivates you to continue it every year?
A: As I grow older, I want to stay young and I see how important it is to let loose every once in a while. Personally, I really like having fun with the students in a different aspect. We have fun performing and on stage. However, this is having fun just by being able to do something out of the normal with the students and engaging with their creativity in a different way than just music. That makes it fun for me and seeing that the students have fun. As tiring as this event is, the students have fun. I want to give students the college experience, to where they aren’t always in their residence halls or studying. We have so many stories to tell at the end of this experience like the scares and freaking out people. We all get a good laugh. In the end, it’s creating memories. We are not a traditional university and being able to create these memories for the students means a lot to me.
Parotti Hall is located next to the Fine Arts Center Theater.
