The MIHS Islander staff recently visited the Georgetown Morgue, a haunted house packed full of optical illusions, quality scares and seemingly endless horror.

The Georgetown Morgue was built in 1928 and operated as a Morgue until 1983 when it became a city attraction and haunted house.

When we arrived, we were greeted with a tedious three-hour line. Make sure to bring friends to make the lines more bearable. To pass the time, we played games and got to know the groups ahead of us.

While waiting in line, we were occasionally accosted by actors dressed up as various horrifying entities and creatures. A Star 101.5 DJ enlivened the crowd with dance music. 

Our anxiety built up as we drew closer to the front of the line, nearing our impending horror. Once inside, a number of encounters and rooms stuck with us even after exiting the house. Truth be told, more than one of us slept with the lights on that night. 

One segment created the appearance of a green swamp with fog and birds. All of the elements that went into the scene created an immersive experience.

Deeper in the building, inflatable narrow tunnels in complete darkness created the feeling of suffocation, leaving the passersby with a looming sense of peril.

Near the end of the house, we walked through a room filled with hypnotic lights and a bridge that seemed to shift. The bridge made it hard to walk and caused a disorientation. Multiple people on our staff went tumbling to their knees, clinging onto the person in front of them for support.   

Other special effects — loud noises, frightening dialogue, and stunning costumes — created an overall terrifying tone. If any of these are problematic for you, we would advise you not to go, but the entire experience brought us closer together. As scary as it was, our staff was screaming and crying together. 

Overall, we recommend paying a visit to the Georgetown Morgue this Halloween season, just remember to prepare for a long wait and a few scares along the way.