SOUTH BRONX — Bronxites looking for spooky terrors this Halloween can head over to a haunted house where the scares come with a Broadway-style show.
The house, spearheaded by Bronx resident Tito Rickii, is located at 1197 Bryant Ave. and tells the story of a boy named Azazel who gets lost inside the building and discovers that a witch is behind all of the haunting going on inside.
He decides that he wants to meet the witch, which is where the visitors to the house come in.
“He wants to use a human, which are the [visitors] that come in the haunted house, and bait the witch to come out with them,” Rickii said. “The humans get caught up in the web.”
Despite the scary premise, Rickii said the haunted house is meant to offer families a safe place to spend a holiday that has become associated with mischief and pranks.
"It’s known for activity and danger," Rickii said, "so we decided to come up with a haunted house where the family can come together and enjoy themselves."
About 15 kids from around the neighborhood have spent the past few months working with Rickii to set up the house and perform in the show.
They earn money for helping out, but he said they must be a student with a reference from their school and permission from their parents to participate.
He uses the house as a way to teach them about topics like acting and the importance of being on time.
“A lot of them don’t have that pure acting ability," he said, "but I work with them for over 3 months, and let me tell you something: you can get it."
Sabrina Castillo, a 17-year-old junior in high school, is an actress in this year's show and said she has had a lot of fun with it so far.
"We do it for the community, and it’s just amazing," she said. "It’s a good feeling."
The cost of admission for the house is $10 per person or $40 for a group of five. The line for the show starts at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 30 and at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 31.
"This is basically a Bronx haunted house that tries to bring the community together for a safe Halloween," Rickii said.
