10th annual haunt scarier than ever: ‘I was so scared’

By Alyssa Leonard

The halls were filled with screams and laughter Sunday during the final night of Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens’ 10th annual haunted greenhouse. People barreling out of the exit were met with a final scare — a loud and unexpected chainsaw.

“This year was definitely 10 times scarier,” said Felicia Georgiu, who first tackled the haunted greenhouse three years ago. “I ran and I’ve never run before, I’ve never actually been that scared, but like, I have a strong fear of clowns. That’s what got me.”

“I stood on this bridge thing that was spinning and cried because I was so scared. Then at the end … I ran.”

Every October, the Colasanti family runs a popular haunted greenhouse and horror ‘hedgemaze’ for six nights during the last two weekends of the month. People line up, sometimes for hours, just to experience the terror that awaits them inside. For many, it’s an annual tradition.

There were more than 15 themed rooms this year set up along three greenhouses, creating the 10,000-sq. ft. haunted maze that sent people screaming from the exit for hours.

This was Kayla Castellan’s first time through the maze. She said she looked at the ground while walking through with Georgiu because she found it terrifying to look up.

“The second [Georgiu] ran, I booked it. Like her, I have a huge fear of clowns so when I walked into that room, I just went and looked for one quick second and I was like ‘see ya!’,” said Castellan.

Despite her fear, she said she is looking forward to returning next year.

Colasanti’s haunt is rated number one in 2018 for haunted attractions in South-Western Ontario.

Haunt Coordinator Melissa McLeod said it takes a whole committee to put the event together, starting as early as March after new props are purchased at the TransWorld’s Halloween and Attractions show in Missouri, USA.

“It’s important to note that there’s a huge team that puts this event together,” said McLeod. “It is now a permanent haunt that is here for the whole year, so we get to play, share ideas and build cool, awesome, frightful-type things.”

McLeod, who has been involved with the haunt for around 18 years, said she has about 20 paid actors who come back every year as well as four managers to run each of the different haunts. In addition, they have about 80-100 volunteers on hand each night.

Two of these paid actors, Brett Hallick and David Sivak, wander around Colasanti’s outside of the maze and interact with attendees, using their stage names Grimmy and Imp. They play two engaged goblins and entertain people while they wait in line.

“We talk with them a lot, but sometimes they get sick of us, understandably so,” joked Sivak, in character as Imp.

“We got kicked out of the maze because we’re not scary enough,” laughed Hallick, in character as Grimmy. “So we have to talk to these people.”

“I can’t only talk to this guy, I’ll lose my brain,” said Imp, pointing at Grimmy.

According to Grimmy, they have been working there for three years, but they keep a tally on the wall to mark their 937 years of service. They say their favourite things about working there are the peach juice and donuts, as that is all the goblins are allowed to eat, with the occasional broasted chicken.

Outside of Colasanti’s, McLeod is a drama teacher at Leamington District Secondary School, where many of the volunteers come from. Colasanti’s donates one dollar from each ticket sale back to the school.

“I’m able to give my students real-life experience and an acting job,” said McLeod. “It’s one of the few events in the area that is available for paid actor jobs. It’s awesome because our acting community in Windsor and Essex county is flourishing right now.”

In addition to donating to LDSS, Colasanti’s raises money from the haunt and their other halloween events for the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and Group Hug Apparel.

“My favourite part about [the haunt] is the excitement on both sides for the volunteers and the actors, and also the excitement of the patrons,” said McLeod. “People come back year after year and it becomes like tradition.”