Gore might rein king on the movie screen, but in Brookfield, one of the longest Halloween traditions is the most chilling act in town.

The 32nd annual Brookfield Jaycee Haunted House will open Thursday Oct. 16, and run through Nov. 1. in Jaycee Ehlert Park with new surprises and thrills. Jaycee member John Hanna said planning for the event runs throughout the year. The haunted house has become a local tradition for many families, she said.

“It has become something in their blood,” Hanna said. “When it’s fall, it is haunted house time.”
It’s also a tradition that’s changed throughout the years, as society’s attitude toward fear has morphed into something different than it was decades ago.

Acceptable gore

Through the years, tactics in scaring people have changed at the Brookfield Jaycee Haunted House.

What once was acceptable is not anymore, Hanna said.

Years ago, a character dressed like a homeless bum would be walking around out front of the haunted house. While he didn’t necessarily insight fear into the hearts of Brookfield residents, he certainly exuded a creepy vibe. The character would be drinking a bottle of Drain-O — which actually was filled with water.

That character no longer exists.

About 10 to 15 years ago, another character would fill baggies with red Jell-O, and place them in locations on his body, such as the back of his legs, with a costume over top. A chainsaw-wielding character would chase him, and when the man would fall the baggies would explode.

“That was shock and awe,” Hanna said. “He loved it, he got a kick out of it.”

Jennifer Spacek, Jaycee member and chairperson of the haunted house, said in previous years, the monsters also were able to touch people below the knees and above the shoulders. Now, no one can touch anyone. Monsters must keep their hands to themselves.

Science of scared

Still, as evidenced by the droves of people who flock through Brookfield’s haunted house doors, people love to be scared.

Fear is an emotional response to threat or danger. Sandra Lee Blood, a therapist specializing in fear and anxiety, said people go into haunted houses and watch scary movies hoping to feel fear.

“My thought is people look at scary movies or go to haunted houses in order to be able to feel, even if it is a negative emotion,” Blood said.

And at this time of year, they have a good excuse. The seasons provide a structure for our lives, and during the Halloween season, many people feel they should be scared. So they rent horror movies and go to haunted houses, looking for that emotion, said Blood, whose main office is in Lake Zurich.

Being scared has adapted through the years, and has had a trickle-down effect. Haunted houses and hay rides have fallen on one side of the spectrum or the other. While some have toned it down and are relying on the spook factor to draw the crowds, others have amped up the violence and gore.

“The level of violence has increased, ” Blood said. “Maybe people need it to be higher and higher levels.”

Beyond the screen

While the psychotic thrillers of the 1970s and 1980s still resonate with some horror buffs, viewers are increasingly likely to demand the realistic, gore-filled flicks technology has made possible. That change of preference becomes apparent in the numbness some people feel while watching national disasters tragically unfold on our nightly news, Blood said.

However, even with all the changes on scaring people, the Brookfield haunted house still manages to be award winning in its scare tactics.

“Our monsters are very intense — they are in your face, they love to hear people scream,” Spacek said. “They get pumped up, they love the startle factor.”