The Blind Scream haunted house in Rohnert Park leaves many impressions. For Jenaca Voth, a 22-year-old Santa Rosa resident, the most vivid concerned a patient in a health care nightmare.
“The most clear memory I have is of the girl who was laying on the operating table, guts spilled all out and still alive gasping for air as the demented doctor stood hunched over her laughing, and then quickly shooed us away,” said Voth after walking though what is known as the “Swamp Shack” at Blind Scream, one of four haunted houses on display.
In previous years Blind Scream had only one haunted house attraction. This year, there were three different haunted houses each with a storyline to explore.
The three houses included Black Out, Carnicus and the Swamp Shack. The stories came about when Blind Scream Haunted House started out at the close and boarded up Hunter Steakhouse building, and have morphed over time.
Each of the three haunted houses this year had professional actors, who were well trained in the art of scaring.
The actors looked very real with broken bones, horrible intentions and hungry for human flesh. Each haunted house was not just a show, but also an improv production.
“Guests are submerged into the whole horror scene,” said one of the owners and operations of Blind Scream, Drew Dominguez.
Brian Abbot, the Rancho Cotati High School drama teacher helped train actors, and some of his students even worked as actors in the production.
“Even though it’s a haunt, being in different roles can help them find out they want to be in their future,” said Abbot.
The first haunted house is called Black Out. Just as it sounds, this house played up on the fear of the dark. It is a pitch black maze, where creatures stirred.
A creature would jump out and scream at you, but it was way more terrifying being at the back of the pack.
The last person in the group while in Black Out usually gets scared the most. The creatures in this house followed guests quietly and closely with out guest’s knowledge.
The next house, known as Carnicus, was a bloody demented version of a circus. Guests were greeted by P.T. Hunter, who was the brother of Doc Hunter, another character from previous years of the Blind Scream Haunted House. P.T. Hunter was the crazy ringleader of the demented bloody carnival.
Participants found many deformed sideshows, bloody killer clowns, a 3D glow maze and more manic family members. The music and atmosphere really added to the experience.
The 3D section of this haunted house required 3D glasses, which were supplied before that section of the house.
The glasses had the wall paintings jump into vision and real live blood thirsty clowns.
The last house was considered to be the scariest. The Swamp Shack was filled with zombies, swamp monsters, the demented Doc Hunter and Mama Sante Hunter. The story said Mama Sante was the voodoo witch.
If someone looked into her eyes long enough, the nightmares of the haunted house will follow. The Swamp Shack was dark and steamy, with terrifying actors.
The Swamp Shack was not limited to the swamp. It included an operating room with patients for the demented Doc Hunter.
“It’s part of Halloween, in October you need to go to a haunted house,” said owner Judy Walker. “People need to slow down and laugh and a haunted house is the perfect opportunity.”
Blind Scream has been around since 2008. Due to financial reasons the haunted house does not stay open year round.
It is not always in the same location, but just as last year, the haunted house is located in Sonoma Mountain Village at 1500 Valley House Dr. in Rohnert Park.
Blind Scream is just a six-minute drive from the Sonoma State University Campus.
The hours vary, so it is best to check the schedule before planning a trip. Attending the house is affordable, even on a college student budget.
The cost is $10 for one house, or $20 to attend all three. More information on Blind Scream can be found on their Facebook page, or at blindscream.com.
