Will he last? - My High School Journalism

10
By Kayla Hurst
Staff Writer
The Southfield Jay / October 2006
Review:
“Ahh!” a young girl screams
while standing in line at the Hayride
of Doom.
She is one of about 100 waiting
in line to climb aboard a haunted
wagon for a 15-minute spooky ride
through dark woods.
The monster who scared her was
only one of several who were creeping
around the grounds of the
Haunted Scare Fest 2006. The
Scare Fest sprawls across 45 acres
in New Haven at 61288 Gratiot at
28 Mile and is open Oct.1, 5-8, 12-
15 and 19-31.
The Scare Fest is a guaranteed
good time for the younger crowd.
It boasts a staff of 15-20 security
personnel and 50 actors throughout
the attractions.
“It is interesting and fun to see
people’s reactions to the scary attractions,”
says staff member Sarah
Marshall. It opens at dusk and
closes when the last person leaves,
and there is a matinee hayride for
little ones from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m.
The Scare Fest includes not only
the Hayride of Doom, but several
other attractions, such as The Terror
Zone Haunted House, the For-
Movie
Review:
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est of Darkness, The Ultimate 3D
House, the Amazing 3D Graveyard
and the Black Terror Maze.
The Terror Zone Haunted
House is actually three different
haunted houses all in one. Those
who enter are not allowed to turn
back .The costumed actors who terrorize
the visitors are believable
and do not come out of character
even when provoked.
The Forest of Darkness is quite
interesting because you have to
walk through it to exit while being
chased by monsters. Monsters
crawl out of the darkness and pretend
that they’re about to grab the
guests or hack them with knives.
Those who brave the Ultimate
3D House and Amazing 3D Graveyard
are given 3D glasses to wear
by a drunken monster poised at the
end of the Forest of Darkness. The
glasses help the glow-in-the-dark
paintings on the walls to jump out
at visitors. Like the forest, the 3D
House and graveyard are replete
with lurking mosters.
The enormous Black Terror
Maze with monsters includes
Leatherface from the Texas
Chainsaw Massacre, clowns and
the walking dead. It is so dark inside
the maze that visitors can
Ent Enter Ent er ertainment
er ainment
Haunted Scare Fest is frightfully fun
By Makia Brooks
Entertainment Editor
Many remember the tragedy of
the 9/11 terrorist attacks with heavy
hearts and a tear in their eye.
It has been five years since the
nation has been shaken by this
event, which to many seemed like
something taken out of a film. With
the history that Hollywood has of
portraying real life events on
screen, it is no surprise that the
events of September 11 became one
of the best movies of the summer
of 2006.
World Trade Center poignantly
illustrates personal events that occurred
before and after the attacks.
Not to entertain, the film’s real goal
is to remind us that even at
America’s darkest hour, there’s a
twinkle of light in us all.
Director and producer Oliver
Stone, (known for his previous
films Born on the Fourth Of July,
Any Given Sunday and Apocalypse
Now) released the heart-wrenching
barely see their own hands in front
of their faces. The maze includes
fog and flashing lights. The only
way to get to the maze is to go
through Bobo’s Pun House, which
is a room with different puzzles to
solve. Its purpose is to get a few
laughs instead of screams. Both of
these attractions cost $8.
The Hayride of Doom is worth
the wait because when the wagon
does arrive, it sports spinners,
flashy lights and eerie fog. The
monsters include vampires,
werewolves, Jason, psycho killers
and the walking dead, all for $12 a
hayride.
Ticket prices for the other attractions
vary depending on how many
attractions visitors want to see at
the Scare Fest. The best deal? Students
can go before 8 p.m. for $10
off the full $26 admission to see it
all. But bring your student I.D.
After 8 p.m., the full admission is
$26.
Along with the attractions are
bonfires, a projector showing scary
movies, concession stands and a
National Coney Island. The Scare
Fest, created by John Marino, is in
its fourth year. Marino says he’s averaging
of 4,000 to 5,000 visitors
per day.
true story of two New York Port Authority
police officers.
World Trade Center grossed a
total of $55,642,517 in the U.S. box
office in its opening weeks. It topping
the
gross for
United 93,
another 9/11
film released
four months
earlier.
Oscar
winner
Nicholas
Cage and
Michael
Pena (Crash) star as Sergeant John
McLoughlin and Will Jimeno, two
officers called to duty on the day
of the attacks.
Cage and Pena gave a face and
heart to two men whom the world
only read about in the papers and
occasionally saw on the evening
news. They acted out the trauma of
being buried under the remains of
what was New York’s proudest set
Photo by Kayla Hurst
Blood thirsty: The dead still come to dinner at The Terror Zone
Haunted House in New Haven, where fun is always on the menu.
Those who enter the haunted house are not allowed to turn back,
so visitors must be sure they really want to enter.
of twins. Pena’s Will Jimeno manages
to salvage his sense of humor
after waking from a dream with
‘Jesus and a bottle of water’. Veteran
actor Cage and talented newcomer
Pena por-
trayed
these men
with dignity
and
respect in
an overall
outstandingperformance.
One of
the strengths of the film occurred
in the opening scenes where the two
men began their early morning at
home, preparing for the day ahead,
not expecting the outcome. It gave
the audience a more in-depth look
at these people; they weren’t just
policemen in uniform, but men who
put their life on the line.
Sirens buzz the audience’s ear
drums while the sight of ash and
They acted out the
trauma of being buried
under the remains of
what was New York’s
proudest set of twins.
rubble tumbling down on the citizens
below makes viewers want to
cover their eyes in horror. Then, everything
goes black.
In the darkness of the theatre no
one makes a sound; there is no shuffling
of the popcorn or slurping of
the soda. Complete silence. It’s one
of the most powerful scenes in the
film, not because of its imagery but
because of the message that no matter
who you are, where you live or
what you do, Americans are all connected
through that fateful day.
Throughout the film we are
taken on the terrifying journey that
Will and John went through, from
the realization of what happened in
New York, to the impressive spirit
of holding on to hope.
In the words of the real Will
Jimeno, “I want this movie to come
out and really teach people that
you’ll always have support and
you’ll always have people there to
love you, and if you have that, you
can pretty much overcome anything.”