Open houses on Taylor University’s campus are not typical home walk-throughs. These traditions take place in dormitories, are themed and provide entertainment to other students around campus. Recent ones were halloween themed providing a spooky way to spend late October.
Some open houses incorporate the acting skills of residents as different students put on scenes to make a story. In contrast, others take a more hands-on approach to activities and guest interactions.
The women of Swallow Robin Hall revived an old Taylor open house this year by hosting “Swalloween.” On Oct. 29, they opened their doors to trick-or-treaters across campus, inviting students to come by and go door-to-door through the building.
Dressed in costumes, students received tricks and treats from those in the building. Some of the activities of the night that guests experienced included drinking poison (apple cider vinegar) over a campfire, a dance party, being on the receiving end of a soapy ball fight, a concert from three residents as Ed Sheeran and a feel-what’s-in-the-box activity (spoiler alert: beans).
One guest, freshman Ava Wenck, said that the hostesses made the night a fun event.
“They were all so excited about it and trying to make it super fun for everybody that came in,” Wenck said.
On the night of Halloween, residents of the first floor of Samuel Morris Hall, nicknamed Foundation, put on their annual open house. Their haunted house was circus-themed this year and jump scared attendees with killer clowns throughout an abandoned circus police plot line.
Freshman Caleb O’Connor, who lives on Foundation, helped with the setup and behind-the-scenes work this year – but after seeing people’s reactions, he was excited to scare people.
O’Connor said that people on the wing put a lot into the event.
“There were a bunch of guys that really studied their role because they had lines they had to say,” O’Connor said. “Honestly, we all just come together and actually spend time making sure it's good for everybody else and not just something that we do because it's a tradition that's cool.”
That same night, the men upstairs on the third floor, nicknamed The Brotherhood – or BROHO for short – kept their own haunted house tradition.
This year their haunted house was Barbie. It began in the south hall, otherwise known as “Barbie Land.” There, freshman Tobiaz Ray played infected Ken and was part of a dance party act modeled after the one in the 2023 Barbie film. People would then meet weird Ken and Barbie in the north bathroom.
Ray said things got creepier in the center hallway, which was decorated as a bunker decked out with strobe lights and people waiting to jump scare.
Next, the north bathroom housed the mad scientist Oppenheimer, who asked people if they wanted to annihilate the zombies with a nuclear bomb. Students were then led down the north hallway where more scares awaited them that would grab people until they shut the bomb off and escaped.
“People were running down the center, and we had some like furniture in there that made obstacles and there were a couple of stories of people; they would run into the furniture, and fall over the furniture,” said Ray. “Or somebody would jump out at them, (and) they freak out. And then they would just scream something I can't repeat.”
After a screaming success this year Taylor Halloween open houses invite students back for next year with Ray’s warning “Be ready, it’s gonna be great.”
