ABOUT OUR HAUNT...
Hi. My name is Sam Kellman, a twenty-year-old loser who enjoys creating alternate realities using Home Depot wood, my loser friends, computers, and lots of other stuff.
It all started in 2011, when my nine-year-old self decided to set up a maze of science fair display boards in my bedroom during a Halloween party at my house. I dressed my dad up in some tacky Party City "evil jester" costume, and locked him in my four by four foot closet for two hours popping out and scaring my friends. It was really, really dumb. But isn't everything at first?
It only grew after that. From cardboard bedroom maze to yard display to hiring friends as volunteer actors to building a couple larger set pieces to 2015. THIS is what I see as the turning point in our "evolution."
With the help of some really cool people, I installed a full haunt inside a local community center. This was the first time I ever used wood within the haunt, building actual wall panels and starting to create more believable sets.
From there, I entered high school. Each year was some new ridiculous thing. Freshman year, I created a yard display cemetery that could be interacted with via a website on your mobile device, allowing you to enter a scavenger hunt-type experience that ended in a maze portion in the backyard. Sophomore year, I created a story-driven Halloween light show in the front yard, featuring a crew of silly jack-o'-lanterns who couldn't put on a performance quite too well. Junior year, I created an experience based on the 2001 film Donnie Darko, allowing us to dabble in set and prop replication, all the while creating a haunt experience guests had to traverse completely ALONE. And in my senior year of high school, I revitalized my sophomore year endeavor with a sequel show, which is probably my favorite creation to date. Approximately thirty channels of programmed lighting, media, and other special effects bounced around a large stage set up in my front yard. It was spooktacular. And I didn't even mention the three other experiences we've put on at Midsummer Scream.
I have haunting embedded into my DNA. Opechee is such a huge part of my life. I ran haunts under the name for technically a consecutive nine years. We're on a bit of a... hiatus, if you will, for the time being. A hiatus from full-blown traditionally produced haunts, to be more specific.
But The Opechee Haunt isn't over yet. We appreciate what we've come to do, and even more importantly, appreciate everyone who's come along for the ride.
Opechee has never had the most solid brand identity. We never repeat the same haunt twice. We're always evolving-- trying out new ways of scaring, spooking, and entertaining. We can't wait to see what the future brings, and we can't wait for you to experience whatever that future may be.
(EDIT: We're already making new stuff, and lots of it. Peep goinsidethebox.com. Thank me later.)