Pemberton Secondary School’s (PSS) drama program is bringing back its annual haunted house in 2021. This year, it’s welcoming anyone brave enough to visit “Camp Terror.”
The walk-through story—devised by the group and scripted by PSS drama teacher Renata Zablotney—tells the tale of an illusory summer camp luring unsuspecting mortals to the site of Lucifer’s fall from grace. There, “counsellors” round up campers as an offering to the four horsemen while the apocalypse looms.
The audience, or “campers,” are led through a multi-room set (built by student set designers) for “orientation,” Zablotney explained. “You get to go through a few fun, zany things and then you eventually meet the four horsemen.”
Students were inspired by classic slasher movies of the ‘70s and ‘80s, explained Zablotney, like Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween and Friday the 13th.
To that end, the performance interprets the camp theme in more ways than one: “It's kind of like campiness that also meets gore,” she said. “It's over the top, to say the least, and I think people will really enjoy that.”
Favouring campy-creepiness over jump-scares also means this year’s haunted house is suitable for all ages. Camp Terror will accept visitors on Friday, Oct. 29 and Saturday, Oct. 30, with 15-minute performances running continuously from 7 to 9 p.m. each night. “You could imagine that's a lot of work and strain for our actors, because essentially they're not stopping at all,” said Zablotney, “but they're just so jacked up to actually be performing in front of a live audience that it's so exciting.”
Tickets are on sale for $11.62 through Eventbrite and must be pre-purchased prior to the event, while attendees must not exceed groups of seven. Ticket-holders must wear masks throughout the experience and arrive on time for their booking.
