Downtown Malad will once again play host to a Haunted Theatre, which will include spooky entertainment for visitors of all ages.  The attraction will be open starting October 26, and run from then to October 27, 28, 30, and Halloween night inside the Iron Door Playhouse in downtown Malad.  Admission to the Haunted theatre is $5 per person, with a family discount for groups of 5 or over.  

Last year’s version of the spookhouse was a huge success, and organizer Ada Marie Campbell looks forward to another great year of providing fun and scares to the community.  “Last year was just amazing!” she said.  “I couldn’t even tell you offhand how many tickets we sold, but we were busy from open to close all week.”

The theatre will be set up as a series of themed areas.  Campbell did not want to give anything away by explaining the nature of the various plans for the space, but a spider-web shrouded stairway to the dark basement provided a clue of the tone for the sights in store for older kids and adults.  An upstairs area will be turned into a “trick or treat” adventure zone for younger kids, featuring Disney villains.  

“We really do want to scare people,” Campbell said.  “That’s the goal.  But we also want everyone to have fun.”  There will be jump scares and a number of surprises, according to Campbell, but the areas set aside for younger children should not be frightening for them.

Designing the space has been more challenging than usual, as the theatre is also in pre-production for the upcoming performances of “The Music Man,” which will begin in November.  Construction of the stage is underway in the main theatre, which will be left out of the haunted tour, but should also help provide an extra air of unfamiliarity to the backdrop for the event.  The team working on the haunted theatre will meet in the upcoming days to fine-tune and add even more ideas to the already-packed tour.   

Campbell refers to the other volunteers helping out as her “skeleton crew.”  The team will help provide acting during the night’s action and monitor the event.  At present, that crew includes Jeni Sperry, Corbin Sperry, Shannon Worrell, Kayleigh Worrell, Connor Worrell, Kris White, Nicole White, Sam and Doris Young, Joe Willie and others.  Volunteers are still being sought, and can contact Ada Marie Campbell at (208) 851-8781.

Haunted attractions are a Halloween staple, and a great way to spend time with friends and family making memories and scaring yourselves silly.  Be sure to put the haunted theatre on your calendar of seasonal events, and plan to make it downtown sometime to experience the frights and fun on offer!