North Central unveils Japanese Haunted House

North Central College’s Japan Club will sponsor its first Japanese Haunted House experience for the campus community on Halloween night, Oct. 31.

The free activity will take place from 7 to 9:30 p.m. in North Central’s Harold and Eva White Activities Center, 325 E. Benton Ave. Visitors are welcome to come and go anytime during the evening hours.

The Japan Club hopes to put a twist on the typical haunted house, drawing inspiration from Japanese horror films such as “Ringu,” which U.S. viewers may be more familiar with as “The Ring,” and traditional Japanese ghost stories.

“Japanese horror is unique in that being outright scary is not always the ultimate goal,” says Japan Club President Kaitlyn Gordon, a sophomore Japanese and global studies major.

“Japanese horror can be played out in many ways, such as being silly or targeting psychological fears that are common among most people. It focuses more on the element of surprise, rather than being grotesque.”

Members and officers of the college’s Japan Club are involved in all aspects of presenting the event, and some members will act out roles of characters that visitors will see in the house.

“We hope to give visitors a taste of the Japanese horror genre,” Gordon says.

For more information about the event, contact Gordon at kagordon@noctrl.edu.

North Central College offers more than 60 student clubs and organizations where students can explore interests and develop leadership skills. The Japan Club is one of several international and multicultural clubs that meet on a regular basis throughout the year.

Japanese is among more than 55 undergraduate majors offered at North Central College. North Central is one of the few colleges or universities in Illinois offering a Japanese major.

Visit northcentralcollege.edu/majors/japanese to learn more.