2018’s CSU Haunted Takeover was a spooktacular success

Janessa Hammers
Staff Writer

The Centennial Student Union was bursting with screams, smoke, and more than a few ghostly creatures this past Tuesday. The 9th annual Haunted Takeover of the CSU boasted 150 years of school pride by breaking up each decade the school has been open to use as inspiration for themed rooms.

Each room was hauntingly decorated with fake spider webbing, blood on the walls, and darkness lurking in every corner featuring a different category of creatures like vampires, werewolves, and zombies to name a few.

The line to go through the haunt stretched from the front doors to the back snaking through the first floor in an unrelenting stream of excited students. This Halloween celebration has been a tradition at Minnesota State Mankato for the past nine years.

Each year features a different theme such as “Your Worst Nightmare,” or “Trick or Treat.” This year was extra special due to the length of the maze that even extended outside into the dark night. The abrupt change into cold wind and strobe lights had hearts racing making the experience unforgettable.

All the actors nailed their roles never tiring in frightening the masses. Many student organizations came together to produce this surreal experience offering their time to give back the community. But to recreate the CSU into a haunted house took far longer than it took to simply enjoy the frights.

The Haunted Takeover was hosted by the Student Events Team on campus and run by the chair of the organization Miranda Magnuson as well as 12 other board members and the help of other organizations on campus. In an interview, Magnuson noted that the hardest part of organizing the event was reaching out to other organizations and convincing them to participate as preparing for the takeover requires a large chunk of personal time.

Because so many people and organizations are involved in creating the takeover it was hard to coordinate schedules to meet deadlines to make sure everyone knew what their role was. Magnuson’s biggest piece of advice to others trying to organize a huge event is to be prepared especially in the three weeks leading up to the event to make sure everything is in place.

With the new maze and expansion outside, the bar has been set high, leaving the community anxiously awaiting for next Halloween.

Feature Photo: A chainsaw-wielding ghoul attacks its latest victim in the outside portion of the Haunted Takeover. (Jeremiah Ayodele | MSU Reporter)