Monsters, ghosts and skeletons: No, this isn’t the release of this year’s big horror movie.

It’s Haunted Woods, the Drama Club’s annual Halloween-themed trek through the woods, which will take place Oct. 28-30 from 6-8:30.

Senior Janiah Bergendahl has spent the past few weeks preparing for her third Haunted Woods, where she will lead a group through the trail as a guide.

“This year, I decided to be a tour guide, because I’m a senior and that’s usually a senior role, so I wanted to go along with that tradition,” Bergendahl said.

Though being a guide doesn’t take as much work as some of the other roles, Bergendahl has put her fair share of practice into the production in the past. Freshman year, she was in a skit, and sophomore year, she was a scarer, but she enjoyed both parts.

“I liked being a scarer more, because I was more by myself or with another person,” Bergendahl said. “The skit was fun too, because I was in a big group of people that I enjoyed being around, and we had a really good time, so I’d say they’re pretty equal.” 

Senior Faith Gormley also had experience in skits during her first two years, but would rather be a tour guide.

“I like that you get to continuously be moving around and see all of the different skits,” Gormley said. “I didn’t like staying in one place for three hours, which is what I had to do in a skit. It just can get tiring.”

Being a scarer or in a skit takes intricate planning, practice throughout the month of Oct., and the approval of all costumes and plans by adviser Mr. Paone. Even though it has taken up a lot of her time through the years, Bergendahl sticks around in the program for the people and her love of the arts.

“I’ve always been around the music community and drama is a big part of the music community,” Bergendahl said. “A lot of my good friends do it, and it’s just a good time to hang out with them. It’s fun when you’re just around your friends goofing off. You just make a lot of new friends and stuff, so it’s always a good time.”

Similarly, Gormley started doing Haunted Woods to meet people who share her passion for theater.

“It’s really fun and a good way to get to know other people in the drama club, especially if you’re a freshman or sophomore,” Gormley said. “Being from Hooksett on top of everything, I didn’t know anybody when I came here, but I made a lot of friends in the Drama Club through Haunted Woods.”

Whether Halloween is your thing or not, Bergendahl encourages everyone to support the drama club and give it a try for only $5.

“It’s not that scary, it’s cheap, it’s a really fun night, and it supports the drama club, so come check it out and have a good time,” Bergendahl said.