Brookdale Haunted Theater Opens Oct. 11, What To Expect This Year

LINCROFT, NJ — The beloved Haunted Theater at Brookdale community college returns this October for its 21st season of thrills, chills and a roaring good time.

The Brookdale Haunted Theater is set up by college students on the campus of Brookdale College, which is Monmouth County's community college. The haunted theater is entirely built, organized and run by Brookdale college students, all young people who grew up in Monmouth County. Patch profiled the haunted theater in 2019, and interviewed the Brookdale college kids and teachers who run it, specifically Sherri Vanderspiegel, the technical supervisor at the Brookdale Performing Arts Center. She is the woman who helps the students put on the haunted theater.

This year, the theater will be open October 11-13, 18-20 and 25-27, all nights from 6:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. The theater is located inside the Brookdale Performing Arts Center, 765 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, NJ 07738. Park in parking lots 1 and 2. There will be food trucks there, and you can also buy concessions inside the theater.

Tickets are on sale at www.brookdalehauntedtheater.com. Tickets must be purchased online in advance. For more information, email brookdalehauntedtheater@gmail.com or call the box office at 732-224-2411.

• General admission: $20 + service fees
• Scaredy Cat Tour (recommended for kids): $10 + service fees
• Group tickets available. Buses welcome.

This year's theme is "Out of Time!" It promises to "take visitors on a horrifying journey through time travel. Expect intricate mazes, pitch-black zones and haunting special effects that will leave even the bravest souls shaking." Brookdale says it will take about 20 minutes to traverse the interconnected mazes they've designed, all meant "to awaken your deepest fears."

Warning: The Brookdale Haunted Theater is scary. In past years, they've used a lot of gore and fake blood in their decorations, and costumed college students can be loud, bloody, gory and well, scary, with themes of violence and foul language. Patch recommends the Haunted Theater for mature kids ages 12 and up, or it is best left for teenagers and young people in their 20s.

"For guests who prefer a less terrifying experience, we offer special Scaredy Cat tours without the scares, perfect for families and the faint of heart," says Brookdale. See their website for more details.

Year over year, the Brookdale Haunted Theater is recognized as "Best Overall Attraction" in New Jersey by NewJerseyHauntedHouses.com, and is known as one of the scariest and most immersive Halloween attractions in Monmouth County. It's a Monmouth County locals' favorite.

The Haunted Theater is also an important fundraiser: The haunted theater brings in $35,000 in ticket sales every fall, and all of that money is put right back into the Brookdale theater program. Revenue from the haunted theater helps fund the four other shows Brookdale does every year, such as their Summer Shakespeare plays and other performances.

Special "Rocky Horror Picture Show" screening this October

New this year is on Oct. 18 the Haunted Theater will show the Rocky Horror Picture Show, featuring a drag pre-show at 11:00 p.m., and the iconic movie will be screened at midnight. Don't forget your prop bags and costumes for a night of laughs, contests and fun!

Doors open: 10:30 p.m. Oct. 18. Drag pre-show: 11:00 p.m. Movie starts at midnight. Prop bags are available for $5, and concessions will be sold on-site. Tickets for "Rocky Horror Picture Show" screening: $15 pre-sale/$20 at the door

Boo! Go Behind The Scenes At Brookdale's Haunted Theater (October 2019)

The Haunted Theater is so popular that many of Brookdale's alumni come back every year to help set up.

"We've definitely had students go dumpster diving for set design materials," Vanderspiegel told Patch in 2019. "We're always looking for pallets and things like creepy dolls. And I'm constantly getting calls from people who live near the school: 'Do you want this creepy old chandelier?' The answer is always yes!"