Halloween just wouldn’t be Halloween without a screaming banshee or two — or a horde of screaming teenagers.
The Bonita Vista High School vocal music department staged Scream ’14 on two successive Saturdays — Oct. 18 and 25 — to much fright, fun and success. Previously, the department had held a stage show “Scream with the Machine” in the campus theater.
This year, the department took its show outside to the school’s quad area and reformatted it as a Halloween carnival. Guests were first treated to spooky musical numbers featuring members of the school’s award-winning Music Machine.
The second-half of the show featured Halloween-themed games, a walking tour of a creepy cemetery set up on the senior lawn and a haunted hall for which the scariest moments were reserved.
Cast members dressed as zombies performed their roles frighteningly well. Screams could be heard as far as across the street every time the chainsaw roared inside the blacked-out tent.
Guests could also take in classic episodes of the 1960s sitcom “The Addams Family,” which were shown in their original glorious black-and-white format on a projection screen.
Candles, spider webs and student performers artfully embedded in the scenery served to set the mood for the gruesomely festive event.
BVHS Music Machine alumnus Giancarlo Dongo served as the evening’s emcee. It was his fifth Halloween outing at the school — four as a student performer and now as an alumnus volunteer.
He said he personally liked the switch to the outdoor venue.
“Scream ’14 was great — it was a lot of fun and I think everyone enjoyed it,” he said. ‘Scream (with the Machine)’ was always a cheesy show with random characters and jokes but this year with a serious theme it was a whole other level of intensity. I personally loved the way things turned out and all the kids I’ve talked to had a great time.”
Other cast members echoed Dongo’s comments.
“Grrrrrr!” one young zombie enthusiastically growled.
So, what are you going to dress up as for Halloween?
