Delta Township - Halloween gore and violence is shown in a different context at Lansing's House of Horrors, and some critics say it's fanatical and goes too far.
Located at 644 Migaldi Lane, off W. Saginaw Road, the house shows a screaming, bloody woman having an abortion, another woman being date raped, two gay men getting married by a demon disguised as a priest, and a young boy giving his uncle oral sex for drugs.
Owned and operated by Mount Hope Church, 202 S. Creyts Road in Delta Township, the House of Horrors hosts local high school students and church volunteers performing graphic, disturbing sketches to teach teens lessons about "real life horrors," said Ricardo Torrez, assistant youth pastor for Mount Hope Church and assistant director for the House of Horrors.
"We're not trying to be politically correct," Torrez said. "We feel we have to communicate the consequences of sin and evil by any means possible."
The House of Horrors opened last Friday and had more than 750 visitors in its first weekend. Open until Sunday, visitors pay $6 each to be guided through a maze of rooms where actors portray "modern-day depravity," Torrez explained.
"We're aggressive and fanatical about getting to people with the truth," Torrez said.
Some who went through the house found some scenes informative, but others unrealistic and extreme.
"Some of it I can understand, like drunk driving," said Holt High School student Katherine Keeler, 16, "But other than that, it's kind of ridiculous."
Keeler added she found the gay marriage scene offensive.
But Torrez argues that such graphic scenes help emphasize the severity of many sinful situations.
"I definitely think they'd feel the shock of it, but ... I think they'd understand our message and that it's aimed at sick individuals who perform those acts," Torrez said.
Pam Bogle and her husband, Trent, of Lansing, attended the attraction Wednesday, but said they were outraged at what they saw.
Pam Bogle said she complained to the attraction's coordinators after going through the house.
"We had no prior knowledge of what this house would have inside of it," Pam Bogle said. "This is an act of trickery that's about trying to get people to join a cult, as far as I'm concerned."
The couple were two of nearly 30 protestors at House of Horrors Thursday evening.
Local police were called to the scene, a few after hours after the protest began, Pam Bogle said, adding the police did not attempt to disperse the protest.
Officials with the Eaton County Sheriff's Department could not be reached.
Because it's targeted at high school and college students, the House of Horrors doesn't admit anyone younger than 11 years old without a parent.
"Some kids are more intellectually advanced than others and can understand the messages," said Doug Sielaff, a local mortgage company owner and a Mount Hope volunteer. "But really, what age is the right age to learn about the world? It's important to expose your children to reality."
