An unused campus building, creepy hallways, spooky rooms, and a few well-timed jump scares are the ingredients for Haunted Heidelberg, Heidelberg University’s Halloween experience that brings students together for a frightfully good time.
This year, the event takes over Aigler Hall for two nights of Halloween fun – with one experience designed for younger members of the community and another intended to give Heidelberg students a scarier adventure.
On Friday, community members can explore a family-friendly version filled with Halloween activities for younger visitors. On Sunday, the focus shifts to Heidelberg students, who can venture into the building’s creepier corners for a more frightening experience.
And the location itself? That’s half the fun.
“The first thing that made me think, ‘Oh, this could be really fun — or really terrifying,’ was when I went in the building for the first time,” said Kinley Johnson, a sophomore student employee with the Office of Student Engagement who has spent weeks with her peers planning and setting up for Haunted Heidelberg. “It is eerie as it is and adds to the whole effect.”
A new home for Halloween scares
Haunted Heidelberg brings together two student organizations – Alpha Phi Omega and Berg Events Council – to create an experience that is equal parts imagination, teamwork and playful Halloween mischief.
Junior Jacy Fuller, president of BEC, said the event grew out of the need to find a new, safe location for the university’s haunted-house tradition. Aigler offered a natural alternative with plenty of atmosphere already built in.
The building’s basement provides the setting for the haunted tour, while the upstairs and main level offer a more lighthearted experience for younger visitors.
Jacy described the basement as a place for jump scares, creepy hallways, spooky rooms and actors ready to surprise unsuspecting guests. Asked to rate the scare factor, she put it at about a 9.
“When I first stepped inside and saw how outdated and kinda creepy the building was, I knew it would work perfectly for a fun Halloween event,” she said.
Senior Hannah Lewis of APO said the building’s backdrop makes it a great fit for the event, giving the experience a “haunted castle vibe.”
The organizations bring different strengths to the project. BEC helps shape the family-friendly rooms and community night, while APO contributes manpower, decorating, organization and scare actors for the more frightening experience. Alpha Si Omega has actively supported both groups need to keep the event running smoothly.
The result is more than a haunted house. It is an opportunity for students to work across organizations, share ideas and create something for the campus and surrounding community.
Creativity behind the scare — and Duct Tape 101
Turning an unused building into a Halloween destination takes considerably more than hanging a few cobwebs and dimming the lights. While visitors may experience Haunted Heidelberg as a quick walk through the unexpected, creating that experience takes hours of planning, decorating and collaboration.
Students develop a theme and vision for each room, then bring it to life with decorations and other creative touches. The building's naturally unsettling atmosphere provides a head start, but the students supply the details that turn an ordinary room into a Halloween surprise.
“Students have to go into every room and decorate them themselves,” Jacy said. “They have to come up with the theme, decorations, and vision they want to portray to that specific room.”
And that work doesn't happen overnight. Jacy said students have spent hours in Aigler making sure the rooms are ready before the event begins.
Hannah added that organizing the event takes a village. Planning stretches beyond the students and volunteers who will be present on event night, with previous conversations and behind-the-scenes coordination helping bring everything together. Finding time to work around busy student schedules is another challenge.
Still, the collaboration is part of what makes the experience worthwhile.
For Jacy, one of the most rewarding parts is watching an idea become reality as students transform their rooms into the spaces they've imagined. Hannah enjoys the opportunity to celebrate Halloween on campus — and has collected some memorable stories from her time working as a scare actor.
Kinley and her coworkers have spent weeks preparing the space for community night, with more decorating still to come. The process has involved everything from taking inventory and brainstorming room designs to building online shopping lists and bringing their ideas to life.
“It has taken lots of Amazon deliveries, patience and creativity to bring all of our ideas to life,” Kinley said, describing the behind-the-scenes effort. And not everything goes according to plan.
“It then all has to be set up and hung up, and let me tell you, duct tape has not been our friend.”
The student organizers know that planning an event of this size takes a village. Coordinating schedules, organizing volunteers, decorating rooms and preparing scare actors all require time and teamwork. Students spend hours developing each room’s theme and vision, making sure the experience feels intentional and realistic from one space to the next.
Kinley shared that one of the best parts has been having the freedom to contribute ideas. She and her coworkers have been encouraged by their supervisor, Shauna Hurles, to bring their own creativity to the project.
That creative freedom has helped turn an empty space into something designed to surprise, entertain and – hopefully – scare.
Frights with a purpose
While the spooky setting and scare factor are central to Haunted Heidelberg, the opportunity to welcome younger community members – with fun, age-appropriate activities in mind – makes the event especially meaningful for Kinley.
“As a future early childhood teacher, I love being able to put on events like this for younger people in our community,” she said.
Some of the most memorable moments come from hearing the stories of scare actors and seeing how visitors react. The shared Halloween experience – and the stories people take away afterward – are part of what makes the effort worthwhile.
The organizers hope guests leave with great memories, plenty to talk about and a new appreciation for what students can create when they work together.
Consider that your warning. Whether you're a younger visitor looking for a little Halloween magic or a Heidelberg student ready to test your bravery, you will leave with an appreciation that Aigler may be silent throughout the year, but for Haunted Heidelberg, it is very much alive with Halloween spirit.