Haunted houses are a staple of Halloween. They are everywhere, as communities host them to give guests a fright of their lives. In Whitewater, one group of people took it upon themselves to give the community what they want. 

Founded by Pam and Dick Kraus, the Shockwave Haunted House by the Fuzzy Pig has been a staple in Whitewater every Halloween. For 15 years, they have delivered scary haunted houses to Whitewater residents and residents from neighboring communities.  

“Years and years ago, I was at a Halloween party, not knowing it was Halloween” said Dick Kraus, the ultimate mastermind of the haunted house. “I saw the fun that everyone was having, and from that night forth, I just got into it.” 

The haunt consisted of three different houses for guests to visit: The Blood Manor, Classic Horror Movies, and a combination of different types of scary things. These three houses allowed guests to traverse a maze of different rooms of scares.  

“It gives college kids something to do,” said Mrs. Kraus. “We also get a lot of older people who like to come in. It is really just fun when you start to haunt.” 

One unique part of the Shockwave Haunted House is that the props are made by hand by Mr. Kraus and his staff. Almost everything that you see while walking through the houses was made by hand by the staff. 

“I am more into making stuff like this,” said Mr. Kraus. “I don’t know what I am doing, I just know what I like when it is done.” 

One of the haunted houses was “The Blood Manor,” which included long and tight hallways with different, small rooms filled with different bloody props. These props included severed limbs, bloodied tools and broken-down household objects. 

Another of the houses was based around classic horror movies. Here, you were able to find scarers and areas based on different popular horror films, such as “Friday the 13th,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” and “Nightmare on Elm Street.” 

“I thought ‘What does everyone kind of want to do?’” said Todd Gerondale, one of the contributors to the haunted houses. “It is kind of a group effort. I thought of classic horror, as I had a lot of ideas as to what to do.” 

Each room was dedicated to different classic horror movies: from Camp Crystal Lake from the “Friday the 13th” films, to the jail cell Hannibal Lecter is from in “The Silence of the Lambs,” each room featured some sort of theme dedicated to the movies. 

“A lot of these props I made myself,” said Gerondale. You get really good at piecing simple things together to make them look realistic.” 

Of course, no haunted house is complete without actors dressing up in scary costumes and scaring the guests. These scarers vary across different ages and genders, and all bring a unique take to their characters. They have just as much fun doing the scaring than those walking through the haunted house. 

“Every night is different, but some of my favorite memories are when I can make a grown man scream like a little girl or fall to the floor,” said Carrie Mathison, one of the scarers. “I’m a short 5’2” so when it happens, I know I’m doing something right! I also love interacting with them; Sometimes, if customers are hooked together by the waist, I’ll cut in and replace the last guy. Hilarious when they realize it’s me and not their friend!” 

Every year, The Shockwave Haunted House has different themes for guests to experience. In the past, they have done themes on clowns, dolls and the undead. The staff put a lot of work into these haunts so the community can experience a scare every Halloween. 

“It was such a fun time,” said Parker Stewart, who visited Whitewater to experience this haunt with his friends. “It was terrifying walking down the dark hallways, not knowing what would be at the end. 

The haunted houses are hosted every year by The Fuzzy Pig, with different themes every year. They are every Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., starting on the first week of every October. For more information, visit the Fuzzy Pig’s website. You can also find them on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.