A ghastly look at Ballston Spa’s senior class

BALLSTON SPA (Oct. 19) — Forget car washes and bake sales. When some Ballston Spa students were seeking to raise funds for their senior class, they decided on something more dreadful and dramatic. Something not for the faint of heart.

A haunted house and Halloween carnival. One that comes in 2 versions — a mild afternoon edition for family fun and a seriously scary evening version for the braver audiences. Both versions will be staged this weekend at Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa.

Alex Van Den Heever (center), playing the Bride of Frankenstein, will be the haunted house's hostess. She is joined by fellow actors Reid Coffey (left) and Karen Laiacona. (Photo by Ian Parker of iparkerphotography)

Alex Van Den Heever (center), playing the Bride of Frankenstein, will be the haunted house's hostess. She is joined by fellow actors Reid Coffey (left) and Karen Laiacona. (Photo by Ian Parker of iparkerphotography)

“There will be live actors inside the haunted house. In the evening it will be scary,” senior class president Sheila Walsh said. “Most of the actors are involved in drama or have some experience in plays.”

One of those with acting experience is Joey Gugliemelli, who came up with the idea. Gugliemelli, who is spending his senior year with the New York State Theatre Institute, has been working at the Double M’s Haunted Hayrides for the past 2 years.

“I’ve always done a haunted attraction every Halloween,” he said. “Normally it’s been at my cousin’s house in her yard. It was a lot of fun, and parents would bring their kids from around town just to see it.”

But Gugliemelli’s cousin graduated, leaving him searching for a new venue this Halloween.

“Since it’s my senior year, I wanted to do something big,” he said.

Big it will be. Ravenwood Manor will contain a mansion full of spookiness — especially during the evening shows. There’s a dining room, kitchen, walk-in freezer, conservatory, study, children’s bedroom and a family graveyard where scarecrows come to life.

“The walk-in freezer will have bodies you have to walk through,” Gugliemelli said. “In the dining room, there are cannibals — including a bride eating her husband.”

It’s not just gore. There will be games, too. The Halloween carnival will offer some traditional contests such as bobbing for apples along with unique events like a mummy race. All of the games will have prizes. During the morning sessions, there will be costume and pumpkin-painting contests for children.

“And Agatha Crabapple, our local witch, will be telling ghost stories around a bubbling cauldron,” Gugliemelli said.

Not only did Gugliemelli design much of the haunted house — including the costumes and makeup — he is working with the actors who will perform in the haunted house. But he won’t be among them. He will be acting in the Theatre Institute’s production of “Sleepy Hallow” during the weekend. So the Bride of Frankenstein — played by Alex Van Den Heever — will be the weekend’s master of ceremonies.

“I’m going to walk around and greet the little kids,” said Van Den Heever, a veteran of school plays and community theater.

The haunted house and Halloween carnival take place Saturday, Oct. 24 and Sunday, Oct. 25. The afternoon sessions will be noon-4 p.m. and costs $3 per child and $4 per adult. The evening sessions are 6-8 p.m. and costs $4 per person.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Van Den Heever said. “A lot of work went into it to make sure it’s good and people will want to come to it.”

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