Camp Buffalo: Thespians turn back clock with 80s-themed Haunted House

By CRISTINA SOLIS
The Tower

Manteca High is hosting its annual haunted house on Oct. 28, produced by the Thespian Club.

The Thespian Club has been hosting this fall fright for years now. This year’s theme — “Camp Buffalo” — revolves around an 80s-inspired summer slasher film.

Camp Buffalo poster created by Manteca High’s Sage Titus.

In addition to preparing the sets, props, choreography and roles, the Thespian Club has focused much of its effort into marketing and promotions. Thespian Club worked alongside members of BuffTV to produce a “Camp Buffalo” movie trailer and commissioned The Tower artist Sage Titus to create a poster to be hung around campus.

“It’s kind of an annual tradition here at Manteca High, just to have a haunted house,” Thespian Club president Lourdes Garay said. “I feel like the advertisement hasn’t been as good in the previous years, so not a lot of people know we have a haunted house. We’re really trying to make that happen so people know about it.”

Added vice president Ava Dos Reis: “We’re really trying to up the promo on it. … We have freshman coming in every single year; not everyone knows about it, so we’re really trying our best this year to get as much promotion as possible on this because we worked really hard.”

The haunted house is Saturday, Oct. 28. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and will run until 8 o’clock. Tickets are $3 for first entry and $2 for re-entry.

There are hundreds of students working every day to perfect the choreography and details that are being put into “Camp Buffalo.” The Thespian Club has created backdrops and cast students as scarers and leaders, and this all takes place in the theater. This year the club paired with Mr. Burns’ multimedia class to create a movie trailer. Under the direction of president Lourdes Garay and Dos Reis, students took over a section of Dell’Osso Family Farm to film.

“We bring a lot of ideas to the table and being able to share those ideas in such a welcoming light such as the Thespian Club is really nice to have,” Dos Reis said. “(Garay) and I do run the club, along with our other officers. It really is a team effort with Thespian Club as a whole, and even though we helped to do a lot of stuff with the haunted house, I think it’s a whole team effort.”