by Kelli Raines
Ignite!’s Riverfront Fright is open to the Spokane community for its fourth year. The event is a Halloween haunted house that is offered now until Oct. 31. Ignite!’s Riverfront Fright is located in Riverfront Park in the Riverfront Park Plaza building near the ice skating rink, and is open Thursday-Sunday nights.
Ignite!’s Riverfront Fright is being put on by Ignite! Community Theatre. Ignite! Community Theatre is a 501c3 non-profit organization located in Spokane, and it provides opportunities for involvement through theatre productions, including its annual haunted house.
Ignite!’s Riverfront Fright is completely volunteer based and anyone is welcome to participate in the scare experience.
“I don’t even do haunted houses, but it’s that much fun,” said Sheren Shultz, a volunteer at Ignite!’s Riverfront Fright.
Upon arrival, those who wish to enter the haunted house wait in line for about 40 minutes. The time varies depending on the amount of visitors already there.
“The line wasn’t too bad,” said Rachael Wilson, senior at Whitworth. “That was a pleasant surprise.”
Wilson visited the haunted house on Oct. 14. As a self-proclaimed “haunted house expert,” she had a lot to say about the experience.
“Back in Utah, I go to the professional haunted house,” Wilson said. “There should have been a little more pre-haunted-house action, like having scary music to get people in the mood.”
After waiting in line, a group of six is selected to go inside the haunted house. The doors open into a circular room. In this room, an actor explains the rules that must be followed while proceeding through the maze of the haunted house. These include no running, no touching actors and staying with the group.
The maze consists of actors jumping out of hidden passages, rooms full of ghouls, and some unique lighting and effects.
“There’s one room that’s an ultra violet room,” said Becca Marshall, sophomore at University High School. “It was kinda trippy and you get a blast of air and it freaks you out.”
When not in use, the haunted house is left alone and the layout is not torn down. Shultz explained that they add to the haunted house every year.
“They drape more stuff in the haunted house,” Shultz said. “They added the sticky floors and walls this year. The maze is so extensive. There’s a lot of space with cavernous places. The atmosphere is really daunting.”
After exiting the haunted house, Marshall said she was a little shaky and she had screamed a lot. Even Wilson approved of the haunted house experience.
“I thought that for being a community-based haunted house it was pretty good,” Wilson said. “They had all the classic scares for everyone.”
Wilson recommends people go in groups to the haunted house.
“While it was a good haunted house, the scariest part of the night was walking to and from the haunted house through the park,” Wilson said.
The hours open to the public are Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., Sundays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Halloween Night from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Admission to Ignite!’s Riverfront Fright is $8 for adults and $6 for students.