By Abbey Edmonson
If you’re like me, and you’re PUMPED about the spooky season that is upon us, you’re gonna want to keep reading this article.
Do you find yourself in Northeast Mississippi for Halloween, and want to do something festive? Do you love to purposefully put yourself in situations where you scare yourself half to death? Me too! Look no further!
The Tupelo Community Theater in Tupelo, Mississippi houses an annual haunted house every October, and you should 100% add it to your spooky to-do list this Fall.
According to lore, there are many spirits of people who died in the 1936 Tupelo Tornado that haunt the TCT. After the tornado, the theater was turned into a makeshift hospital and morgue. It has been said that some bodies were even temporarily stored in the theater’s crawlspaces. The most notable spirit that haunts the halls is Antoine, a friendly ghost who likes to play tricks on non-assuming bystanders. People have reported stolen keys, items moved around, lights turning off, and humming that seemingly comes from nowhere. I personally believe I had an encounter with Antoine when I worked in the theater two years ago. One time, I knocked on one side of a wall, and I heard another knock from the other side. When I peeked around the wall to see who was there, there was no one. I know, spooky right?
As aforementioned, I used to work in the haunted theater. Let me just tell you, the people who work behind the scenes have put SO MUCH thought into the layout, costumes, and set design. It is strictly a volunteer-based program, so everyone involved is truly passionate about the event and the quality of the performance. One year they used a light-up, rotating hallway, and another year they created a mechanism that made it seem like a car was jumping out at you. They are super passionate about creating an environment that not only scares you, but also makes you want to go through it again and again.
The haunted house trails throughout every corner of the theater; upstairs, downstairs, on stage, backstage, you name it, you’ll see it. The actors are not allowed to touch you, but they’re certainly allowed to spook you.
It’s open every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of October starting October 12th, and it runs from 7:00pm to 11:30pm.
I hope y’all are ready for some spine-tingling fun!
Later ghouls!