By Esteban Fernandez, Ms. Mayhem
Another “Spooktober” has come and gone and yet the terror and anxiety continue into November for many. Fitting then, that the theme for No Place to Go’s haunted house revolved around internal fears.
“With the idea to queer the haunted house, we were really interested in stimulating an internal landscape of fear and also have people sort of negotiate the complexities between fear and desire,” said Serena Chopra, one of the event’s organizers. “Rather than things coming out at the audience externally, we really wanted a more pensive or meditated or introspective experience.”
Anxieties faced by those in the queer community can’t be shelved till the following year the same way Halloween decorations are at the end of October. Chopra, Frankie Toan and Kate Speer all felt a haunted house was the best way to get visitors contemplating on what it’s like to inhabit a marginalized body. Capitalizing on people’s willingness to dive into fear, Toan said that it’s a way to find joy, fun and also finding healing through fear. Putting the event close to the election was also important.
