Architect of your ‘Terror’ at famous Philly haunt

Montgomery Twp. woman director of costumes, props at famous Philly haunt

Montgomery Township resident Alisa Kleckner wears several professional masks, so to speak.

She is Arcadia University’s theater costume shop manager and resident costume designer. She is also an adjunct professor there.

She also happens to be in charge of figuring out how all the props and costumes should be made and displayed at “Terror Behind the Walls” at Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary. In summary, much of the creep factor at the nationally-known haunt comes from Kleckner and the creative team.

One of the startling elements at this season’s Terror Behind the Walls that she’s most proud of is a human beetle, that casts a “drastic silhouette” in Eastern State’s central hub, that “we’ve lovingly called the center-pedes.”

“They were tricky to build and I wasn’t sure they were going to work,” said Kleckner.

Here’s some other questions we came up with for her:

What’s coming up next on the stage at Arcadia?

The next show is “The Great American Trailer Park Musical.” As you can probably guess, it’s a comedy musical. It opens Thursday, Nov. 9 and runs through that weekend and the following weekend.

Is it true you’re afraid of haunted houses?

I used to be terrified of all things horror, actually, and I made a conscious effort to get over it. I worked on a haunted attraction with my now-husband ... It was working behind the scenes that I realized this is really fun.

How did you get to be the costumes and props director at Terror Behind the Walls?

I have experience designing for some of the big haunts in the area, and my husband found the ad (for members of the creative team). People don’t approach other people’s people in the industry ... It just seemed to be a good fit.

What skills do you use for Terror Between the Walls that you don’t usually use in the costume shop at the university?

Some (of my) skills are sewing and draping and patterns. But I don’t get to use my mold-making and casting skills ... For this year alone, we built over 200 pieces. It’s no small endeavor.

Kleckner also runs her own leather accessory business (masks, costumes, puppets, etc.) called Scared of My Shadow.

Terror Behind the Walls continues through Nov. 11 at 2027 Fairmount Ave., Philadelphia. Check ticket availability at www.easternstate.org/halloween.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Alisa Kleckner of Montgomery Township secures the costume for one of the actors in Terror Behind the Walls.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Alisa Kleckner’s leather working skills, which she doesn’t usually get to explore at Arcadia University, come in handy for creating masks at Terror Behind the Walls.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Alisa Kleckner of Montgomery Township goes over the fine details of a costume for one of the actors in Terror Behind the Walls.