Rain or shine, the Sinister Cellar was back in action for its fifth year. The haunted house, which has now turned into a top community attraction, was created in 2019. Matthew Dunkel, Cameron Brewer and Zach Meyer, the three go by the persona Simpson T. Sinister, thought of the idea as a joke and have carried it on longer than they expected.
“We thought it was just gonna be one year and then over after that,” Simpson T. Sinister said.
Every year there is a new theme for the haunt. This year’s theme was “The Rise of the Pumpkin Overlord,” where people of all ages followed the Pumpkin Overload and became a pumpkin themselves.
“We have been working on it since December,” Simpson T. said.
That is how it goes every year; the haunt is only held two days of the year, but the work being put into it happens year-round. This year they created the most intricate haunt yet, and all their hard work turned into a decorative and detailed Fort Branch Community Park. For the first time ever though, the haunt had to deal with Saturday showers. With rain being a factor, Simpson T. decided to lower the ticket prices from $5 to $2.
“This was definitely our most detailed haunt,” Simpson T. said. “But, the rain really affected it.”
Along with the haunt came the 2nd annual Sinister Cellar Zombie Run, which had more than 200 runners, about 50 more than last year. The Zombie Run is put on by Don Steinmets and is not your typical morning race. Each runner has flags attached to their waists, and there are zombies around the course trying to steal runners’ flags.
The actors are a big part of the big nights and without them the scare factor would not be there. That is why volunteers are a huge part of the haunt. High School students, halloween fans and good friends of Simpson T. help as builders, actors and workers.
“We couldn’t do it without our volunteers, they are a big part of the haunt,” Simpson T. said.
The haunt is sponsored by Fort Branch Community Pride, which donates money, food and connections for the haunt.
Combining everything together, Fort Branch has one of the most popular Halloween attractions in town. Even though the 2023 haunt concluded, next year’s is already being worked on, and theme ideas are being entertained. Whether it’s December or July, the Sinister Cellar is always working to be the best in the area.
