Ever since the Sears Auto Center closed down back in the 2000s, a haunting presence has taken over 98 Santa Rosa Plaza. Gathered in the dark reaches of Downtown Santa Rosa, the event would quickly become a frequent tradition for many across the Bay Area: Blind Scream Haunted House.
Since 2008, Santa Rosa has been home to one of the scariest darkroom haunted houses in the North Bay. For four weeks in October, the building becomes a twisting labyrinth for fear-seeking folks in the scariest month of the year.
I joined my roommates to visit Blind Scream for some bonding time, and we were greeted by a terrifyingly long line for the main haunted house. Fortunately, we ended up getting tickets for free from a guest leaving, dressed in a Halloween costume. The scares didn’t stop at the door: professional actors dressed as monsters found distracted people and frightened the daylights out of them, then offered to take a photo.
The tickets for the Blackout Haunted House, a maze in complete darkness, were the cheaper and less busy option between the two mazes. It didn’t have a narrative like the main one, but it was pretty freaky, lit up by only a glow stick to navigate the cobwebs hanging down from the ceiling and creatures around the corners. After the first well-executed jumpscare, I was holding onto my roommate for dear life, trying to keep my senses sharp and continue stepping into the pitch-black, wielding nothing but a glow stick…