On Friday, Oct. 30, Ellingson hall council put on CarnivELL, this year’s version of the dorm’s annual haunted house. The event began at 8:00 p.m. Friday night, but attracted a lengthy line before the doors even opened. Students from every corner of campus came to the haunted house in hopes of getting a good scare the night before Halloween. The haunted house was the perfect beginning to the Halloweekend, providing a fun Halloween activity that all students could attend.
The haunted house was very well planned, rehearsed and organized, resulting in a scary experience that many students claimed to have felt like a professional haunted house. Students who live in Ellingson volunteered to act in the haunted house, fully dedicating themselves to their roles, heightening the authenticity and spookiness of the event.
The line stretched out from the front desk of the dorm, through the hallway and out the front entrance into the chilly night. Students waited for an average of 45 minutes to be led into the CarnivELL by a ringmaster, played by Tyler Seufert ’19, who showed them all of the haunted places in Ellingson. Beginning near the front desk, Ellingson resident Kayla Carlson ’19 did an excellent job beginning the experience by playing the role of a fortune teller. After that, groups of about 10 students were led into the main lounge, where an excellent set-up of tarps attached to the ceiling portrayed a big top circus tent. A spooky clown and knife thrower intensified the scene.
The scariest part for many students was when the group was led into the underground tunnel of the building. Actors whispering and shouting behind chain link fences and boarded up openings distracted students just enough so other actors in dark makeup and bloody clothes could come up behind them and use surprise to their advantage. Scared off, the group was herded into the hallway, where actors popped out from every dark corner, finishing the CarnivEll with a bang.
Aside from the long wait outside, the Ellingson haunted house did not disappoint, and I would recommend checking it out next year.
ellfel1@stolaf.edu
