Brown College Prepares for Another 'Hauntings on the Hill'

Hauntings on the Hill, or simply “Hauntings,” is an annual, student-led haunted house hosted by UVA’s Brown College, an on-Grounds, application-based association for undergraduate students to call their homes. Brown is a “living and learning community,” meaning residents live in fellowship with more than 40 University faculty members in various departments. 

On Friday and Saturday, from 7 p.m. to midnight each day, Hauntings on the Hill will be open to all UVA and Charlottesville community members, with an entrance fee of $5. Can’t handle the haunt? Hauntings has a family hour from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Brown College is located on Monroe Hill, directly next to Monroe Hill House. Built in the late 18th century – even before the University’s founding – Monroe Hill House is the oldest standing structure on Grounds, making it the perfect spot to host Hauntings. 

Hauntings on the Hill, first started in 1988, is one of the oldest traditions within the Brown community. A group of Brown residents organized the first haunted house simply as a way to get into the Halloween spirit, and the rest is history. 

“In 1990, [Hauntings] became an official part of the Brown tradition and budget,” Renee Erickson, a Brown resident, said. “Over the years, it got bigger, so it was moved into tents on Monroe Hill, and we’ve been continuing to do it that way ever since.”

Brown College resident and Hauntings co-chairs Kendal Williams, left, and Renee Erickson right assemble a prop that perfectly encapsulates their theme: monsters and cryptids.

Hauntings is so central to the Brown community that a committee was formed to ensure that the event runs smoothly. Alongside third-year Brown residents Kendal Williams and Stephen Branch, Erickson serves as a Hauntings co-chair with a focus on set design. 

“Hauntings is a super important event because it’s the one time during the year that Brown gets to interact with the entire broader University community and also do something that’s really beneficial for charity,” Erickson said. “We try to do volunteer work whenever we can, and this is a really fun and unique way to do that.”

At the beginning of each school year, the Hauntings co-chairs ask Brown residents to generate theme ideas for the haunted house. This year, the committee landed on a theme that is sure to send chills down your spine: monsters and cryptids. Cryptids are mysterious animals the some believe exist in the wild, but are unproven by mainstream science; think the Loch Ness monster or bigfoot.

“We get all sorts of wonderful ideas each year,” said Erickson. “We were hoping to have a theme that was more classic and ‘in-the-woods horror.’”

Picture this: The University has been overrun by monsters who have created their den in the woods by Monroe Hill. To survive, you must take part in a hunt to eliminate the monsters before it is too late. Otherwise, you will become one of the hunted. 

Visitors to the haunted house can expect face-to-face encounters with a range of classic cryptids, including werewolves, vampires and swamp monsters, as well as more ambiguous monsters that visitors will have to see for themselves. 

The Hauntings committee has been working hard to design the set and arrange costumes. The haunted house will take place under a massive wedding tent divided into several rooms, creating a maze-like structure for visitors to be guided through by the Hauntings team. 

While Brown has a budget for new props, decorations and costumes, the co-chairs try to repurpose items from previous years. 

Williams, who spearheads Hauntings’ special effects, has been envisioning and perfecting the gore makeup for weeks. Williams is looking to expand her team by hosting special effects educational courses in preparation for next year. 

“It’s a long process,” Williams said. “I am hoping to host classes this year to get some other people knowledgeable on how to apply special effects makeup so we can have a makeup team.”

Hauntings is more than just a haunted house - it is a facet of the Brown community. It is a way for residents to work together, deepen their relationships with one another, and give back to local charities while doing it. 

On Oct. 21 and 22, Hauntings on the Hill will be open to all UVA and Charlottesville community members, with an entrance fee of $5.

“In high school, I taught myself how to do special effects makeup,” Williams said. “It was really useless any other time of the year. Then, I came [to Brown] and Hauntings was my first large event where I met most of the people that I am friends with today, so it is great for community-building.”

Brown College is a collection of passionate, caring and unique students, creating a distinctive culture of support, to which Williams attributes Hauntings’ success. 

“I think we are really unique people,” she said. “We try to get away from the narrative that [Brown] is where all the weird students live, because it’s not. The people who live here are really fantastic and just looking for community.

“We all join together and put all of our effort in to make the event as best as it can be. That’s why Hauntings is so successful.”

Hauntings donates all of the proceeds to a different charity each year, voted on by the community of Brown College. The charity for this year’s Hauntings has not been announced, but visitors can expect the funds to be donated to a local organization to give back to the Charlottesville community.

“My co-chairs and I are excited for the UVA community to see what we and the residents of Brown College have been working on for a few months,” Branch said. “We encourage everyone to come out for a fun and spooky experience perfect for the season, while also supporting a great cause within our tight-knit community.”