On October 25th, 2023, the HMHS drama club came together for their first annual Haunted House in order to raise funds for the school Thespian Troupe, troupe 4789. It was a night of spooky fun for the whole Haddonfield community, becoming one of the troupe’s most successful student-led fundraisers yet. 

The project had been in the works since early September, with the setup coming together rapidly after the closing of the fall show, Almost, Maine. Together, the dedicated students constructed walkways from old set pieces, brought in ghostly decorations, and designed costumes to outfit various “rooms”, some of which represented Haddonfield itself. “I couldn’t believe this idea hadn’t been thought of for the thespian troupe before!” remarked Katie Crawford, a junior involved in the event, “My favorite part was my own little scene [a hostage scene], it was so much fun getting to scream in our props closet, and I thought the idea was really cool.” Along with this, featured scenes included a spider’s lair, a haunted campsite (courtesy of Haddonfield’s Boy Scout troop, troop 65), and the famous shower scene from Psycho. 

The event went from 7-9 pm, bringing in students from the elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as supportive parents willing to walk their kids through the frightening set up. Encouraging community togetherness, Stage Fright (a pun coined by troupe 4789) raised over $700 dollars, which will go towards making the spring musical, Chicago, as fantastic as can be!