It took 200 garbage bags, 20 rolls of tape, and almost 100 student volunteers, but St. Peter’s Catholic Secondary School's haunted house is back from the dead — 25 years after its last scare.
An incredible amount of effort and co-ordination from 11th grade students Mackenzie Bondy and Mackenzie Vrtochnick, who coordinated the experience, which took place through the school's small cafeteria Friday.
It's uncertain why the event hadn't been around for the past quarter-century, but by all accounts, the 2025 edition was a smashing success and bringing it back brought pride to those involved.
"We haven't been able to do this in so long, and to find a way to bring our school community together was really special," Bondy said.
Upon entering, eerie music is playing, and those who dare must navigate the dark passage through the cafeteria, weary of the "monsters" that may emerge from the shadows.
The best scare is at the end, with one performer suddenly appearing from behind a wall. Meanwhile another being creeps behind the visitors at a snail's pace before they reach the door with "EXIT" splattered over it.
Elementary school students from nearby St. John Paul II Catholic School went through the haunted house in its first hour. However, over 400 St. Peter's students, many in costume, filled the hallways throughout the rest of the day in anticipation and got the most out of the experience.
"The high school kids are a lot more dramatic," Vrtochnick said.
"They're excited because it's something new, and the elementary school kids were more supervised by their teachers so that was definitely a factor."
The idea to create a haunted house for Halloween came up in early October through the Panther Student Union, which initiated a quick turnaround to get everything organized. There's also a credited portion for some in a leadership course at the school.
"[The most difficult part was] gathering all the materials and making sure that we can actually set up," Bondy says. "We had one day to set this all up, so we really pulled in a lot of classes and a lot of extra help."
Many stayed after school hours Thursday to design the maze, manipulate the cafeteria's furniture, and line the room with black garbage bags and other spooky decorations.
Both Bondy and Vrtochnick say they saw it as a way to spread Halloween spirit throughout Barrie while contributing to a charitable cause. All proceeds from each one dollar entry fee and other donations will go to Children’s Mental Health Ontario.
"We knew that not every child gets to celebrate Halloween, or maybe they're struggling a lot, so we just wanted to put our proceeds to a cause that was good," Vrtochnick explained.
"That makes me want to put in more effort so that more people come because it's for a really good cause and I really support that," said costumed actor Ash Van Hintum.
In addition to a tight turnaround the actors played a major role in bringing the haunted house to life. Around 10 actors from the school's drama department took in making it a frightening experience for all. Many took advantage of a morning cosmetology class to perfect their makeup and outfit.
"They're already working so hard to make that their dreams and to be able to help fuel their ambition and passion was something we knew we had to do," Bondy said.
Van Hintum and fellow actor Matilda Antwi-Opoku relish in the experience, and seeing their friends get involved inspired them to join in.
"I just wanted to see if I would like it and I really do," Antwi-Opoku said. "I've been a guest to a few haunted houses and they had live actors in it so I took in what I saw and used it today."
"I find joy in entertaining people and scaring them, so I thought this would be a good idea," Van Hintum said.
With interest and amount of fear provoked from students exceeding expectations, Bondy and Vrtochnick feel confident about taking event planning to the next level in the future, and know how to make improvements for next year's haunted house.
The pair feels that different set pieces and a different theme would keep the activity fresh in 2026, while also ensuring they can still scare their peers who got this year's experience.
"We'd want more set up time, and more security of all the decorations," Vrtochnick says. "As students have gone through, stuff just gets shifted."
