WHILE most of us have visited our deceased loved ones in cemeteries during the observance of Undas over the weekend, there were also others who opted to scare themselves by watching horror movies or going to haunted places.
Recently, Zone 1 Barra Youth Organization opened its Halloween attraction, the "Hotel de Barra," an uninhabited house located in Zone 1, Barra, Opol, Misamis Oriental that caught the attention of several horror fans and those who seek to scare themselves.
It garnered more than a hundred visitors not only from the barangay and its nearby areas, but also as far as Manila.
According to the locals, the last owners of the house left for around a year.
"Dugay raman gyud na sya nga balay. Daghan gapuyo dinha sa una pero dili gyud sila magdugay kay naa gyud gapanghilabot sa ilaha (That house is old. Many used to live there, but they don't stay for long because something keeps haunting them)," said Rowena Seriña, an 18-year-old resident of Barra.
The neighbors said the previous owners have experienced several paranormal occurrences such as hearing footsteps at night, feeling something cold grabbing their ankles, among others.
With its spooky background, the Zone 1 Barra Youth Organization secured permission from the bank, as the house is not foreclosed, to do a horror house which ran from October 29 to November 2, starting 7 p.m. to 12 midnight.
Calling it as "Hotel de Barra," participants were required to look for a key to open the exit door so they can escape the horror house.
Sounds simple, right? The catch: they have to look for it in the dark with only a single flashlight available. Using cellphones as flashlights are prohibited.
The participants were also given a map of the house. Looking for the key was challenging as not only the source of light is limited, but also there were no hints given as to where the key is located. At the same time, the staff were dressed as monsters and ghosts waiting in every corner to scare visitors.
"Tsada kaayo ilang padagan. Super hadlok. Bisan pag mga kaila nimo sila tanan...kanang gapangurat kay mga kaila nimo sila tanan. Pero when it comes sa ilahang panghadlok, murag dili nimo mailhan (The way they run was fun. Super scary. Even if you knew them all...you know it's them scaring you. But when it comes to the way they scare you, it's like you don't know them)," Seriña said, as she shared her experience inside the horror house.
With the horror craze happening, it was no surprise that the youth organization, on the night of November 1, experienced something creepy as they caught, in a photo, a boy and a girl who were not part of their team.
This prompted the group to close the horror house.
However, after demands and supports from the locals and interested participants, they still opened Hotel de Barra for its final night of terror.