Although the eternally sunny sky may indicate otherwise, Phoenix is home to many eerie locations and events that are perfect for Halloween.
Following the COVID-19 health crisis this year, many Phoenix residents may be at a loss for Halloween plans; however, the city has many historical and mysterious buildings, socially distanced haunted houses and festivities to enjoy.
This Halloween, attractions must be altered to meet safety guidelines, ensuring this holiday will be memorable and quite different from years previous, leading to exciting new traditions for locals.
Unfortunately, there will not be massive parties this year such as the ‘Monsters Ball’ of 2019 which took place on Roosevelt Street. But residents still have the opportunity to try something new this fall while large public gatherings remain risky.
One example of this lies in the middle of the city, the iconic 18th century Rosson House in Heritage Square. This fully restored Victorian home recently reopened on Sept. 4 to limited capacity and hosts a tour entitled ‘Séances and Spiritualists.’
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Rosson House tour guide Sarah Matchette said that the tour “specifically looks at the Victorian era and their fascination with death and the afterlife, as well as spiritualism and the history of that, which is a very interesting time period.”
In the Victorian era, people faced countless hardships and separation such as the many causalities of the Civil War, high child mortality rates, and a lack of medical knowledge and resources. All of which propelled them towards their belief in life continuing after death, Matchette said.
While this tour is very popular around Halloween due to its macabre nature, “people are interested year-round in the subject,” Matchette said.
“It’s understandable given that people have this connection in their minds with Victorians and the Victorian houses with the supernatural and ghosts,” Matchette said. The public can explore the historic house for themselves on the weekends and come to their own conclusions on the possible phantoms.
However, if one is looking for a more theatrical haunted house experience, both the 13th Floor and Fear Farm are opening their doors this autumn with new COVID-19 regulations. These include temperature checks of actors, limited capacity and private group separation, sanitization and mask mandates for actors and customers.
On their website, both businesses express that, “More time and more space, both from other groups and actors, will allow us to try some interesting storyline tactics that we normally wouldn’t be able to try.”
The City of Phoenix’s Parks and Recreation Department has not announced any events, but said that “Anything we’d do would be a drive-thru event and follow physical distancing guidelines,” according to spokesperson Gregg Bach in an email.
For the thrill-seekers, the Phoenix Arizona Paranormal Society offers the opportunity to tag along on an authentic paranormal investigation during their haunted tour.
This organization was created in 2006 by Roland Franklin with the mission to help families in need. Growing up in a haunted environment eventually led Franklin to dedicate himself to preventing children from experiencing the same terror in their own homes, said long-time PAPS investigator Lara Davis.
For each experience, the PAPS team establishes a meeting location and then begins the investigation when everyone is ready. Davis said they identify happenings that may be paranormal and discuss the evidence with the group.
“You never know what you’re gonna get,” Davis said. “Sometimes it’s quiet, sometimes we’ve had people that have had to leave the building because they’re being overwhelmed with sensations that they’ve never felt before.”
The locations of this tour are active paranormal hot spots, such as homes where the owner has given express permission to investigate, as well as museums. The profits from these tours also go directly to the homeowner, the venue or fundraisers, Davis said.
2020 is also the inaugural year of the PAPS ParaFest, an event featuring presentations by various supernation experts, such as “multiple UFO specialists, ghost hunting specialists, and maybe a sasquatch expert,” Davis said.
This event will be taking place on Oct. 23 at the Pioneer Living History Museum, a location known for holding unique Halloween activities. The event previously hosted trick-or-treating in their decorated village as well as a haunted hayride last October.
Although this year won’t look like any Halloween before it, the spirit of the season remains, and as Davis said, “I think there’s hauntings no matter where you are.”
Contact the reporter at samackie@asu.edu.
