If you’re looking for a haunted occasion worthy of your time, look no further than the East Lyme Walk of Horror. The execution is flawless.
The experience? Worth the long wait.
It is quite evident hard work and preparation goes into the annual event hosted at the East Lyme Community center by the local police cadets.
“We do it all for the kids,” East Lyme Police Cadet Sergeant Mark Hallbauer said. Sergeant Hallbauer has led the Walk of Horror for years now. Every year, the event has grown in size and participation. The props have gotten more realistic, the number of scare actors has increased, and the walk has doubled in size over the last four years. The walk itself begins as you exit out the back door of the Community Center. As soon as you leave the safety of the building,
anxiety begins to brew. The first sound that can be heard is the roar of a chainsaw followed by distant hollow screams. As you enter the twisting maze of pathways, you are immediately shrouded in darkness, you can’t
help but to run and clutch onto whoever is beside you. The very first corner you turn, the walk immediately lives up to its name. Jumpscare after jumpscare, with heart racing, lungs hurting, you blindly follow the given path back to safety. The screams and laughs were well worth the $5 entry fee, and a small price to pay for such an enjoyable time.
The Walk Of Horror is also a charity event which supports East Lyme’s Police Cadet program.
“It pulls in about five grand over three days,” cadet Leah Taylor said. Taylor, a sophomore at ELHS, has been involved with the event as a cadet for three years. The money brought in pays for the cadets’ activities and training. Last year, the money raised allowed them to take a trip to Washington DC. For Taylor, and many other young people, the Police Cadet program has helped guide them to take the necessary steps to make their childhood dreams of becoming a police officer attainable.
“This experience was a 9/10, was pretty scary. I screamed very loudly,” Ledyard junior Hayden Baber said. The East Lyme Walk of Horror takes an entire year of preparation and each year the event has never failed to give a satisfying scare around Halloween.
