Materials engineering junior Zack Zeller bedazzles a Jason Vorhees hockey mask before entering the Haunted Holmes hallway with friends on Oct. 24, 2024.
The Haunted Holmes Halloween event at Michigan State University transformed Holmes Hall into a spooky destination Thursday night, inviting students and community members to explore a night filled with thrills, chills and festive activities.
The evening featured an assortment of activities, including a haunted hallway, costume contest, pumpkin decorating stations and themed foods. The pumpkin carving stations provided all the necessary tools and supplies, allowing attendees to express their artistic flair while enjoying the company of peers.
In addition to these activities, the event offered a selection of seasonal treats like apple cider and donuts. Tables were set up for students to enjoy their snacks while socializing and participating in pumpkin decorating.
This event was orchestrated by over 30 staff members, who are also resident assistants (RA). Human biology senior Ariana Riegle was one of the RAs leading the event.
Riegle said the planning team for Haunted Holmes started up in late September. Together, the team had to collaborate to come up with ideas and acquire all the resources necessary to transform the residence hall.
"This event has not been a consistent thing that the university has done, but I really pushed for it to happen this year because I had such a blast my sophomore year, and I wanted to have that for our residents," Reigle said.
While this event may not be regularly occurring, its attendance was robust. Of the hundreds of students who participated, many said the highlights were the welcoming atmosphere and the variety of activities that catered to different interests.
Psychology freshman Lelah Hagan heard about the event from the posters hung up around campus.
"It was fairly scary, pretty good and very well organized." Hagan said.
Haunted Holmes received advertising help from Spartan Compass. At the start of the night, Reigle said the estimated 250 student attendees had risen to over 300 since Spartan Compass got involved in promotion.
Psychology freshman Meredith Nestor said the event was "very well organized."
"It was a great event that we will all have fond memories of for quite some time," Nestor said.
