The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Haunted house: Screaming scared for a worthy cause
Halloween event raises funds for food and fuel bank
HADDAM — From a Hellevator to a witch’s hut, Grim’s Haunted House hopes to give people a fright next weekend.
Chuck Cook, who started the Halloween attraction for his granddaughter Amie Esteves in 2005, said it has continued to grow over the years and now brings hundreds of people to the Community Center in the Higganum section of Haddam.
“In 2005, I had just bought a new house. I had a 10-year-old granddaughter that was wanting a really spooky Halloween party,” he said. “So, I started Grim’s Haunted House with a coffin with a mummy in it, and a string to pull him up. The door would open, and the mummy would pop up, and all the kids would all scream and have a great time.”
It has grown every year since, Cook said. In 2016, he partnered with Frank Mucciacciaro and Ryan Cleveland to create an even bigger show at the community center. This year, Grim’s Haunted House will run
from Oct. 22 to 24 from 6 to 9 p.m. with a kids fair, and trunk or treat candy distribution (only on Oct 23) from 5 to 8 p.m.
It’s also a fundraiser for the Haddam Food and Fuel Bank, Cook said. The Haddam Lions Club is asking for a $5 donation per customer, with Liberty Bank of Higganum matching gifts at 25 percent.
Cook said he and Mucciacciaro joined their prop collections in an effort to grow the event. Mucciacciaro has two teenage sons who are into animation, Cook said, adding that they created some cool, spooky
monsters and props rigged to move around in the haunted house.
“In 2019, we met up with Ryan Cleveland,” he said. “He really helped us make 2019 a spectacular event. We went from probably having 500 people the previous years. That year, we had over 1,000 people.”
The pandemic prevented the event from happening last year. In 2021, organizers will be taking health precautions.
Cook said they want to return with a “bang.”
Grim’s Haunted House starts in the Hellevator — an elevator that takes guests to “Hell.”
“It moves. It shakes. It rattles,” he said. “It gives you the feeling that you’re going down through a mine shaft into Hell. When the door opens, you get greeted by the devil.”
Cook said participants will exit into a hot cave with lava, and then find themselves going through a mummy’s tomb, witch’s hut with trapped children about to be eaten, corn field with a peculiar scarecrow, and much more.
And, there’s much more. “I have to keep some secrets,” Cook said. “The Grim Reaper is going to be in there somewhere.”
The haunted house is geared toward teenagers and adults, however, Cook said, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren have grown up around the scary event and also enjoy it.
There will also be games for children, face painting, candy and food. People decorate the backs of their cars for Halloween so others can go trick-or-treating on location during the trunk or treat portion.
“People, in general, have a blast,” he said. “They go there to have fun.”
For information, visit Grims Haunted House on Facebook.