COVID-19 restrictions put in place by the state have taken away Sonoma County’s haunted houses, specifically Blind Scream located in Santa Rosa. What was once a month long event, for locals to get reacquainted with spooky season, has now been canceled.
The Blind Scream Team alerted their supporters on their website by saying, “It is with a heavy heart we have to announce that Blind Scream Haunted House will not be opening in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.”
With that being said, Drew Dominguez and Judy Groverman Walker, owners of Blind Scream, stated that they are not being deterred from scaring people just yet. They plan on joining forces with the Splash Express Car Wash on W. College Avenue to provide a haunting experience during the evenings from 6:30 to 10 p.m., from Oct. 22 through Halloween. Walker stated that, “This will allow our actors an opportunity also to “get their scare on” which is what they all look forward to every year.” Dominguez and Walker are also crossing their fingers that the county is opened up a bit more in Dec. because they are planning a “Haunted Christmas spooktacular” event.
While haunted houses are typically known for their often frightening appearances, Dominguez and Walker have found that while that is true in many cases, it can also be a place of romance and laughter. They have encountered two marriage proposals within their haunted houses, which gave them the opportunity to help set the stage. Walker continued to say, “Our actors are great, with a little advanced notice they were able to change up their routine and make the moment special for both couples taking that big step.”
Dominguez and Walker said that one of their favorite parts of putting on a haunted house is “hearing the laughter and screams when people are going through the haunted house – often even before they step foot inside the building.” They also mentioned that they enjoy having creative construction and artistic direction. They add new themes, animatronics, artwork, and props seemingly every year. In addition, they also enjoy scaring a wide audience, ranging from seven year olds to 80-year-olds.”
Blind Scream has gone a step further these past few years by reaching out to Sonoma State University student groups and clubs. They offered them the opportunity to scare for the night, they “fed them dinner, gave them scare training, put them in costume and make up, and they went to work scaring,” said Walker. Students from other countries that do not normally celebrate Halloween even took part in scaring others, and were able to tell their family and friends back home all about it.
Tyler Chase, Sonoma State senior, took part in the festivities during the past year and said, “It was nice to go out and help support the community in a fun way for kids and teens.”
Walker recounts that “Blind Scream has become a North Bay tradition for many, many people and their families. We usually see people from throughout California who look forward to their visit to the “Good Doc” at Blind Scream. It is very difficult for us to not open and for that tradition to have to take a pause this year. We love what we do and always want to show off our work to the community. We are very proud of the scenes, the sets and our dedicated actors and builders.”
