Scare for a Cure: A Haunted House with a Purpose

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I have Twitter to thank for introducing me to Scare for a Cure, a non-profit out of Austin, Texas, that “raises money for local cancer charities one scream at a time.”

I figured it’d be a good thing to write about today. For one, Halloween is coming and haunted houses are on everyone’s brain. But also because cancer’s on my mind due in part to Patrick Swayze’s death yesterday. I thought Scare for a Cure was a really novel approach to raising both money and awareness for the disease. (In 2007, Scare for a Cure raised $5,000 for breast cancer recovery. In 2008 they doubled that with $10,000 that benefited scholarship funds for four students affected by cancer.)

“BLOOD RITUAL”

Scare for a Cure’s mission is to create an “extreme, full contact, interactive haunted house adventure” that’s “guaranteed to chill you to the depths of your soul!”

The premise for this year’s haunted adventure sounds like fun. You’ll join a team of paranormal investigators exploring Dunstan Castle, with its tales of “demons, blood-lust, and a vampire’s quest for world domination.”

It sounds like this isn’t your standard walk around haunted house either. (Well, I’ve never walked through one.) But on their website I read something about crawling…you’ve been warned!

TICKETS

What I really like is they have something called Green-Level Tickets. They’re for people like me who sometimes freak in haunted houses. All you have to do is tell a crew member the experience is too intense and they’ll get you out. That’s pretty cool.

However, for the brave and thrill-seeking amongst you, they also offer Red-Level Tickets that are on the opposite end of the spectrum. Possess those and the experience will be more extreme and intense.

The cost is $20 per person for regular tickets. (Including Green-Level.) $25 will buy you Red-Level admission and all the pulse-pounding terror that you can handle.

LOCATION AND DATES

The address of Scare for a Cure’s haunted house is 7400 Coldwater Canyon Dr., Austin, Texas. Dates and times are:

• Friday, October 23rd: 7:30-12:00
• Saturday, October 24th: 7:30-12:00
• Sunday, October 25th: 7:30-11:00
• Wednesday, October 28th: 7:30-11:00
• Thursday, October 29th: 7:30-11:00
• Friday, October 30th: 7:30-12:00
• Saturday, October 31st: 7:30-12:00

SCARE FOR A CURE’S 2009 CHARITY PARTNER

This year all net proceeds will go towards benefiting Breast Cancer Resource Centers of Texas.

DONATIONS

Would you love to help Scare for a Cure’s cause but a Haunt Jaunt to Austin to check out Blood Ritual is out of the question? Here’s how you can still help:

• You can donate money, either online via PayPal or via check. Click here for more info.
• You can donate items. Check out their wish list for materials, goods and services they could use.
• Give food to feed the hungry volunteers that make Scare for a Cure’s haunted house such a success.

QUESTIONS FOR READERS

Does the haunted house(s) in your area benefit a special cause?

Courtney Mroch

Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, as well as obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.

Speaking of healing, to learn how she channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.