Copyright Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — With Halloween soon approaching, hundreds of brave souls made their way to William H. Pouch Scout Camp, which was magically transformed into The Haunt at Camp Slaughter on Saturday. With more than 50 actors on hand, guests could take a hayride and walk through a haunted house where actors were waiting to scare the living daylights out of anyone who dared cross their path. For the past six years, six acres at the historic Kreischer Mansion in Charleston were the setting for the haunting experience, until a significant restoration project forced the event to find a new home. According to promoter Rick Rispoli, The Haunt at Camp Slaughter is utilizing 18 acres of the property at William H. Pouch Scout Camp. “The entire experience lasts approximately 45 to 50 minutes and comprises three distinct sections: a hayride, a walk-through trail, and a 13-room haunted house,” Rispoli explained. “If anyone is too frightened or overcome with fear, we call for an escort, and then one of us, me and my security guys, will go over there and walk them out,” added Rispoli. For Brandon Korchan, a veteran haunted attraction performer from New Dorp, the line between creating entertainment and triggering genuine distress became frighteningly clear during a harrowing incident in 2011. “I had an incident one year in 2011 where I scared a patron, and I turned around to focus on someone else, and I heard a loud thud, and the girl fell on the floor and she was having a seizure,” Korchan recounted. The medical emergency brought operations to an immediate halt. “We had to shut the whole house down, so it was kind of a scary moment for everybody,” he explained. Korchan, who has been working in scare attractions since 2006, is a digital designer for video games by day, and transforms into nightmarish characters each fall. Bonianne Triolo from Oakwood was among the first to arrive with a group of friends who came to see her husband perform. “He does this at home with the kids, so working here suits him,” Triolo mused. For Mason Diorio from Annadale, this was his first time at Camp Slaughter. “I was pretty scared when the chainsaw guy started chasing me,” he said. “I ran like my life depended on it!” The Haunt at Camp Slaughter will be open tonight and on Halloween night from 7 p.m. to midnight. For more information, check their Facebook or Instagram pages.
