Larzelere Residential Hall Director Andrea Purrenhage cannot bring herself to enter her students’ creation of mind-bending shock.

It is Larzelere’s theme areas in the students’ haunted maze in the hall’s terrace that will keep Purrenhage out, she said.

There is a room dedicated to clowns, the movie “Saw” and other rooms that will twist reality to psychotic screams.

The maze is the brainchild of Warren freshman Shelley Croud and Caledonia sophomore Kevin Terpstra. They agreed they have the mojo and
the volunteers to top last year’s blood-curdling cries.

“It will be psychologically disturbing,” Terpstra said. “We are definitely hoping to up the ante from last year.”

The maze is open from 7 p.m. to midnight Thursday and from 7 to 11 p.m. Friday. This is the seventh year of Larzelere’s haunted maze in the terrace.

Behind the scares

Croud cannot wait for the opening of the haunted maze, she said. She just woke up one day with the idea to add to the maze. She and the
group talked over the twisted theme and are now working on bringing it to life.

“This one you will have to wait and see for yourself,” Croud said. “It is kind of sick, but that is what people like to see nowadays.”

The admission is $2 for students and adults. It will be free for children, but Croud warns the maze is not child-friendly. Children can come
through the PG version set up in the beginning of the maze though, she said.

Children will be diverted before they enter the real intense parts of the maze, Croud said.

Croud and her volunteers began construction Sunday and will be ready for the opening. Terpstra hopes by using the whole terrace this year
more people will come out.

Last year, more than 100 people went through the maze, Terpstra said. This year, they hope moving the days to Thursday and Friday instead of Halloween will have a better turnout.

“We do not want to compete with Halloween or Main Street,” Terpstra said.

Beside coming for a real good scare people also can help a good cause, Croud said. All proceeds will go to the philanthropy the hall supports called Smile Train, which raises money for cleft lip and palate treatment.

“A surgery to repair a cleft is $250,” Purrenhage said. “These children are hidden away in third world countries because of a cleft. Some of
those countries believe a cleft is a curse from God so they are hidden away. So a repair changes their lives.”

E-mail the author: Lonnie Allen