Santa Rosa’s Blind Scream Haunted House returned after two years of being closed due to wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic. Located at the corner of First and A street in the old Sears Auto Center is where this year’s Blind Scream is making its home. This year’s “Witch House” brings to life a Halloween experience that is not for the faint of heart.
Blind Scream opened on Oct. 8 and is open every weekend thru Halloween night. According to Judy Walker, marketing director behind Blind Scream, “We built it in 2019 and were able to keep it up and work on it throughout the year hoping to open in 2020. But, COVID hit and Sonoma County never opened up for indoor events so we are very happy that we are able to open this year.”
With COVID-19 still plaguing our lives, Blind Scream is adhering to Sonoma County guidelines of masking up indoors and social distancing throughout the haunted house. The actors inside wear masks as well. There are hand sanitizer stations throughout the experience and is largely “touchless.”
Walker did express minor concern with the mask mandates thinking that the masks would “ruin the look” of the actors in costume. “We really have been able to disguise the masks so that they look like part of the costume or we have added a veil or other piece of material over the mask to complete their look,” said Walker.
The haunted house featured many tight corners and turns that housed all types of spooky characters. The maze is configured in a way that makes it impossible to know which way you’re facing. Witches and their cauldrons, spiders and their webs, werewolves and their prey were hidden throughout the maze. The experience also includes a walk through a spinning cylinder to mark the end of the haunted house.
According to the press release put out by Blind Scream, builder and designer Drew Dominguez said, “This is by far the best haunted house that Blind Scream has brought to life, there have been remarkable changes and upgrades since 2019… We are proud to be able to present this level of entertainment to the North Bay!”
Blind Scream began in 2010 when Drew Dominguez and Judy Walker met at Transworld; a Halloween attraction and trade convention held in St. Louis, Missouri. Both had been working at haunted houses in Fresno and Santa Rosa and found that they worked well together and then decided to open Blind Scream together.
“We go to trade shows and costume shows in the off season and Drew is always tapped into what is happening in the industry – new props, new animatronics, trends. We are generally a temporary haunted house since it is difficult and expensive to find warehouse space to own year round for a one month event. But, sometimes we get lucky and can stay in a space for more than one season,” says Walker.
Fourth year English student, Haley Hernandez, went to the attraction Friday night and said, “I love haunt walks and Halloween, it’s my favorite holiday. [Blind Scream] was worth it.”
For more information and ticketing prices, visit www.blindscream.com.
