The Class of 2014 planned Archer’s annual Haunted House on Thursday, Oct. 31. The premise was fairy tales, but these stories would not pass Disney’s standards.

The maze began with a lost Hansel and Gretel leading groups to try and find their way home. Students entered in groups of four, ordered by descending grade levels. The first stop was the Haunted Forest. Then the groups visited Little Red Riding Hood, the Seven Dwarfs in their mine, Snow White’s Castle and the Witch’s oven.

The event took a chunk of Archer’s lower floor: the art hallway, black box theater, and two staircases between the two. The first group entered the Haunted House at around 8:20 am, and the seniors had everything cleaned up by 11:30 am.

One senior said, “It wasn’t until ninth and tenth grade that the Haunted House really came to life…and it was a great bonding experience for the class of 2014.”

Erin Jordan ’14, who played a major role in planning the Haunted House, said she “had been always thinking about an Alice and Wonderland theme.” When she brought this to the planning committee, they broadened the theme.

One of Jordan’s goals was to “have a scary and creepy haunted house.” She said she wanted “screaming with a purpose.”

A senior said she was, “glad the Haunted House came together so well.” Another added that she heard “from a sixth grader that it was exciting and just scary enough.”

In an email to the senior class, Dean of Students Gretchen Warner raved, “Your Haunted House was by far the creepiest, most intense, and most well-executed Haunted House I have been through at Archer.  Everything about this experience was outstanding—from your thoughtful planning all the way through your brilliant performance.”

Ms. Poverstein added, “Excellent work transforming the space…I didn’t recognize the black box at all!”