Fright night At the moment, the large room is shrouded in a maze of wire fencing and plastic sheeting and requires some imagination to visualize a haunted house. When the doors open tonight, however, members of the Kaimuki-Waialae YMCA teen program promise patrons will be shaking in their boots.
at Aloha Tower
The Kaimuki-Waialae YMCA teens
promise pre-Halloween thrills and chillsBy Shawn 'Speedy' Lopes
slopes@starbulletin.com"As long as they don't look up, we'll be OK," jokes Matt Ward, a 19-year-old Honolulu Community College student and longtime YMCA enrollee, motioning upward. Hanging from the ceiling of a disused wing of the Aloha Tower Marketplace's second level are colorful replicas of tropical fish, held over from the room's former incarnation as a food court. "We'll be here for a while making it work. It has to get done ..."
"Tonight," chime Ward's teenage cohorts in unison, finishing the thought.
Tonight is indeed the night as the Kaimuki-Waialae YMCA officially opens the creaky doors of its haunted house (it'll be operating over the next two weekends as well as on Halloween night). The latest in a series of annual Halloween fund-raisers for the program, this particular event -- in the works since summer and constructed over the course of several weeks -- is entitled "Scary Movies" for its horror flick theme.
"This room is the 'It' room -- have you seen that movie?" asks Tiffany Kiyabu, 16, of Sacred Hearts Academy. She is perched above her peers on a stepladder, arranging paper streamers and trading directives, barbs and laughs with her friends. "Then there's the 'Scream' area, which goes into 'Psycho,' 'Poltergeist' (television set included), 'The Swamp' (not an actual movie, but a creepy stroll nonetheless), 'Nightmare on Elm Street' (complete with a makeshift bedroom), 'The Shining' (the inverted phrase "redrum" is scrawled across the wall just like in the movie), and 'The Exorcist.'"
Built by the Kaimuki-Waialae YMCA "Scary Movies" Haunted House
Where: Aloha Tower Marketplace, 2nd Floor food court
When: 6 to 11 p.m. Fridays, 3 to 11 p.m. Saturdays, and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays through Halloween, Oct. 31, when it will also be open 6 to 11 p.m.
Admission: $7 for adults; $3 for keiki, 12 and under
Call: 566-2337
As haunted houses go, the construction crew of students and YMCA leaders here are already veterans, having had a hand in similar projects of Halloweens past. Last year, it was Pier 10 just across the way on the same Marketplace grounds. The year prior, it was Market City Shopping Center. "But we sort of outgrew Market City," explains YMCA leader Noa Hussey, who has been involved with five Halloween ventures in as many years. "We went looking for another place, and when we came across Aloha Tower, we thought it was awesome."
As the square footage expanded, so did their proceeds. "I would say it doubled at least," says Hussey of their take at the door since moving the haunted house to Aloha Tower. That was good news for the program, which relied partly on fund-raisers to fulfill the wishes of the kids involved.
"It really allowed us to expand our program. We were able to do things like go to the (Hawaiian Adventures) water park, which at one time was expensive and out of the question. Aside from community projects like picking up rubbish and painting, they also like to do fun stuff like going to the movies and the Ice Palace, and this really helps."
A host of program enrollees, friends and volunteers will do their best to stop the hearts of their customers with a combination of frightening sights, sounds and props. "I like coming in and scaring everybody," admits Ward with a mischievous grin. "Some of these guys don't like working with me 'cause I'm a big scary guy."
For the faint of heart or those with younger children, a "pumpkin patch" with activities and crafts will be open nearby as well. Here's a tip, 'fraidy-cats: Bring the little ones as an excuse to tell your older kids you won't be joining them inside.
Click for online
calendars and events.
