Annual USU Howl features a haunted house and a silent dance
On Oct. 28, Utah State University held its annual Halloween party, the Howl. This year’s theme was “Haunted Howl-o-ween House.”
The main dance was held in the fieldhouse with bright flashing lights and loud music. The room was filled with hundreds of people moshing, dancing and partying.
But this year, there was more to the Howl than what USU students expected. Two new activities were the silent dance party and the haunted house.
“I kind of expected it to just be a dance and maybe a couple of other things,” said Bailey McKnight, a USU student. “But there’s such a variety for all sorts of people, for whatever you want to do.”
While the dance was happening in the fieldhouse, the rest of the Howl activities took place in the TSC.
A line up to the Skyroom, where the silent dance was held, wrapped its way down the stairs, through the 3rd floor, and down the next flight of stairs to the 2nd floor of the TSC.
Walking into the silent dance was a stark contrast to walking into the fieldhouse. There was no music playing out loud, but all around the room, people were dancing and singing along to their own music, wearing headphones lit up in different colors.
“So they come in, they grab a headset and then turn it on, and they can shuffle through three different stations,” said Avery Barton, a volunteer at the silent dance. “We have a live DJ playing, we have disco, we have pop, so that way they can listen to whatever they want and all around it’s silence.”
There was no set time limit, but the dancers were asked to leave after about 3-5 songs so more people could cycle through the dance.
Paige Blair, another volunteer working at the silent dance, said she was surprised by how many people enjoyed the silent dance and by how many people came through multiple times.
“I definitely thought, ‘This is kind of weird,’” said Jace Bedkey, a USU student who participated in the dance. “But it was a lot more fun than I was expecting, just kind of doing your own thing.”
Barton and Blair both said they think the silent dance is definitely something that will be done at the Howl again, based on how successful it was.
Another long line crossed through the TSC during the Howl, and it was for the haunted house.
The wait for the haunted house averaged about an hour throughout the night. While waiting in line, people were able to watch screens that showed participants walking through.
The theme of the haunted house was childhood nightmares.
Located in the Evan N. Stevenson Ballroom, it featured a variety of frightening scenes, such as a dark version of Little Red Riding Hood, a girl trapped in a cage, a clown and a small space that people had to crawl through.
“The way they really utilized the space was my favorite part of it,” said Camille Hollingsworth, a USU student. “And I think that all the actors were really good about making the event really enjoyable for everyone.”
This was the first year the haunted house was part of the Howl. At the end, those who had gone through could take a short survey sharing their thoughts on the experience.
After completing the survey, participants were able to spin a wheel which determined the size of candy bar they received.
Besides the dances and the haunted house, there were additional activities scattered around the TSC.
There were tarot card readings and live animals to hold and touch in the Hub, and an hourly hypnotist show in the International Lounge. There was also an area to get airbrush tattoos and multiple soda stations.
— c.keith@usu.edu
Featured photo by Elise Gottling