Dorm buildings can have an eerily institutional atmosphere, even in the light of day. This weekend, Yuma Residence Hall is taking that freaky feeling one step further.
Starting Friday, the basement and boiler room areas of the dorm will undergo a transformation from dwelling to drooling for the annual Haunted Dungeon.
The Haunted Dungeon follows the premise that zombies have taken over Tucson. In the chaos, dorm buildings are being turned into makeshift safe houses for students to wait out the infestation. Yuma is one of these dorms, and the basement proves to be the most fortified and defendable part of the building. However, it would appear that it may not be as secure as anyone guessed.
“”Zombies are a big theme this year,”” said Yuma hall director Ross Dubois.
One might wonder whether a residence hall haunted house will prove creepy enough for UA students’ tastes.
The first time Dubois heard about the Haunted Dungeon last year, he was working at Coronado Residence Hall and assumed that the student-run haunted house “”would probably be boring, and not scary. But I really got freaked out.””
“”We cranked it up to 11 this year,”” said Yuma Hall Council president Oliver Beres. “”The people who work down there get scared going down there in the dark by themselves.””
Students from Maricopa and Yuma dorms will be working the dungeon during the show, which is a volunteer effort and philanthropic event. Funding for the sets, props and costumes came from Yuma’s Residence Life budget. A donation of a mere two cans of non-perishable food gains visitors entry into the dungeon. The canned goods will then be donated to a local food bank. Whether haunted houses are your idea of good entertainment or not, you can still give to a good cause and maybe get a thrill for your contribution.
Be forewarned, though; in the event of an actual zombie takeover, the dorm might not be your best refuge. A break-in would be almost inevitable.
“”There are too many entrances (to Yuma). I don’t think it’s one of the places on campus I’d want to be, in a zombie situation,”” Beres said.