Haunted houses have been around forever and have sparked our minds with interest. Some people get a rush walking through a dim hallway, not being able to see any of their surroundings that could possibly be filled with mysterious creatures, and others avoid the place entirely. Believe it or not, there is a greater chance of being injured than escaping that corrupted palace.

Going to a haunted house may seem fun at first, but I’m here to show you what that “fun” can cause.

I have never liked haunted houses and seeing the injuries that it can cause has given me more anxiety every time Halloween comes around. I have experienced some of the trauma from going inside a haunted house feeling relentlessly vulnerable toward a creepy clown ready to gouge out my eyeballs.

Being in a dark house not knowing where you are can be one step away from landing in the nearest hospital. A plethora of injuries can occur such as: tripping, carbon monoxide, exposed protrusions, scaring gone wrong, falling props and trampling. My own injury was caused by falling down a flight of stairs and due to the lighting issues, my body turned into an odd pretzel-like form.

My haunted house experience was like the fear of drowning– the feeling of being stuck and scared. It was like anxiety had paid me a visit from every direction, and I was running as though I would never find an exit. I got hurt more than I had fun, well, something that is so-called “fun.” When I first walked in, I realized that I was going to regret seeing my worst nightmares come to life: clowns, loud sounds, blood and other terrors.

Going through the haunted house, I encountered a spiraling room of doom. I already knew that I was going to get dizzy. Getting dizzy inside of a haunted house can be dangerous because it can mess up your vision or nearly make your body experience leaks. It affected my vision which gives me more anxiety and if I can’t see where I’m going, I’m clueless to where my surroundings are.

Running is also a good way to cause some major damage, like tripping or running into a prop. When my group of friends was rushing through the haunted house and with our luck, we knocked over a prop. The group was filled with nervous terror as we started forward, trying to avoid the monsters held in the next room.

As we finally approached the exit, the hallway was filled with bubbles up and down the walls. The air was thick and breathing became a desperate struggle. The bubbles caused a myriad of disorientation as the whole group began slipping and sliding, none of us able to keep our momentum. We came out covered with bruises and one of my friends had a cut down his leg from slicing his leg on the door.

Haunted houses have become more modernized every year, transforming stagnant haunted dolls into your worst nightmare. They can get out of hand and cause many unavoidable injuries that may or may not end up being an awesome story. I would rather be safe than sorry and stick with avoiding haunted houses and maybe trick or treating or watching some Halloween movies.