Vermont haunted house changes program after community protest

A haunted house in Chittenden County garnered attention for a plot line that some Vermonters considered offensive. Nightmare Vermont changed programming that referenced a school shooting after community members spoke out in protest. 

The attraction is slated to put on performances until Oct. 26 at Essex Junction's Champlain Valley Exposition.

The haunted house, in operation since 2004, issued a Facebook apology on Oct. 22 to the community. The post indicated "any reference to current events or plotlines involving students and weapons" will not factor into the production.  

Mentioned Parkland and Fair Haven

The post received a few comments from Facebook users who felt the haunted house's response was an unnecessary adjustment.

Backlash to the story line came largely from the Slate Valley Unified Union School District, as Superintendent Brooke Olsen-Farrell said many felt the opening plot referenced a firearm in a school setting, according to reporting by the Rutland Herald.

The performance mentioned Parkland, Florida and included a reference to Fair Haven Union High School, which had a school shooting scare in 2018. 

The group's director, Jana Beagley, clarified that the intention of the plot "was against school violence" and assured that the program "cut all references and plotlines entirely out of respect for the feedback we received," according to the Herald. 

Nightmare Vermont's programming entails groups of 20 entering the experience together, exploring "creepy rooms where scenes of mayhem and horror occur, and escape the evil lurking within to return to the upstairs," according to the attraction's website.

The group encourages parents to stay with children 13 years old and younger, but reassures that the experience "is not a gross-out slasher event, it is a thrilling story."

Contact Maleeha Syed at mzsyed@freepressmedia.com or 802-495-6595. Follow her on Twitter @MaleehaSyed89.