Halloween Adventure House 2004 Clemente Soto Velez Community Center 107 Sullolk Street| Lower East Side Written and Photographed by Wendy R. Williams

“Hey there little red riding hood, you sure are looking good ...” 1

Chain saws, dead babies, strobe lights, menacing clowns and Jack Nicholson in the full-frontal-nudity-version of The Shining took over the Clemente Soto Velez Community Center this Halloween, temporarily distracting the neighbors from the normal scary tenants - groups of warring artists embroiled in a rent war. "Soto" is a huge Lower East Side arts center, housed in a vintage 1898 middle school. And we all know there is nothing scarier than Junior High!

This down and dirty haunted house, produced as a joint venture between Timothy Haskell and Halloween Adventure House, had people lined up around the block to pay their $20 and scream their way through ten rooms designed by local artists: Kass and Schaeffer Horror Division, Red Humour Salon, Maura Kelley, Victor and Kim Catano, Michele Chivu and Kelly Rauch, 31 Down Radio Theater, Erin Andrea, Aaron and Justin Haskell, Scary Clowns, Inc. and Trav S.D.

Each room was unique and featured live (I think) actors doing their best to scare the pants off their happy customers. And unlike some past late night tours of the lower East Side, everyone came out alive. So, "Little Red Riding Hood...you’re everything a big bad wolf could want. Owoooooooo! I mean baaaaaa! Baaa!" 2

See www.hauntedhousenyc.com & www.halloweenadventure.com for more information.

Footnote:
1 & 2: Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs
LI'L RED RIDING HOOD (Ronald Blackwell)