By Kayla Caldwell
Have you ever wished you could have been a part of Disney’s Halloween classic, Hocus Pocus? Well, Freeform’s Halloween House gave fans a chance to get as close as they’ve ever been to that dream.
For $27, fans got to kick off the Halloween season with a journey to Salem, Massachusetts, Halloween Town, Woodsboro, California, and Cemetery Lane. There were carnival games (with the chance to win prizes!) and plenty of Butterfinger bars.
The journey began with a special bracelet that allowed all those professional photo op pics to be sent right to your email address. That’s right - you didn’t have to pay extra for a picture taken with a legitimate camera. With a simple scan of the bracelet, it just went right to your inbox.
Then, after trying your hand at some carnival games - I won a cute, Halloween door hang! - you got to hop into a special Scream Photo Booth to recreate that iconic beginning scene with Drew Barrymore and Ghostface. What’s YOUR favorite scary movie?
Next, you got to take your own trip into Halloween Town, walking through the unforgettable holiday forest and into that special, Jack O’Lantern-marked tree. Once inside, there were photo ops in the cemetery (with sassy gravestones that said things like “Gomez and Morticia Addams - Their love knew no bounds (but plenty of bondage)” and “Casey Decker, if only she had caller ID.”
From there, you could take pictures on spiral hill, in the town square, in Oogie Boogie’s lair - where you could spin a wheel for a great prize like a Nightmare Before Christmas coloring book… or a disembodied finger. You could even pose as Lock, Shock, and Barrel in the bathtub on your way to kidnap the Sandy Claws.
But Halloween Town wasn’t the only world the Freeform Halloween House allowed fans to enter. Walk into another room and you were suddenly transported to a cemetery in Salem, Massachusetts. There, you could pose alongside the statue of a thwarted Winifred Sanderson, or lay down in Billy Butcherson’s grave.
But that’s not all. The Sanderson sister’s house allowed you to recreate the memorable “Another glorious morning… makes me sick!” scene. You could also pretend to be bullies Jay and Ice, trapped in the witches’s cages, or Winifred herself, by stirring your smoking cauldron. Book was there, too - obviously.
The grand finale was the opportunity to throw on a cape and hop onto the back of a broomstick, or, you know, a vacuum, and take to the skies for a gif you won’t want to stop sharing.
It’s been over a month since I visited the Freeform Halloween House, and I am still working through all of my pictures. There were so many great photo ops, it’s hard to even choose what to post! And for someone with an infinity for witches, like myself, it’s hard to imagine a more enjoyable way to spend a Wednesday evening.
Basically, what we’re saying is, is it next Halloween yet? We can’t wait for another journey through the Freeform Halloween House!