Stepping into the house, all one sees are the lights flickering as fog covers their face. They start feeling something crawling on their backs, and out of nowhere, screams echo from down the hall. Suddenly, a person revving a chainsaw begins barreling toward the group of innocent bystanders, one of whom falls backward and passes out.  

Some people experience true horror at a haunted house; if the acting is realistic enough, they find it difficult to remind themselves they are just watching a scene unfold.  

And who is at the center of that horror? Ava Bloniarz, a junior at West Chicago Community High School who loves the horror theme. She works at a haunted house as one of the main actors, and enjoys scaring the shoes out of other people’s feet.

Ava started working in October 2023 at Evil Intentions haunted house in Elgin. As a newcomer, she was given the role of Red Witch for the season after her father introduced her to the work. The facility needs a particular someone for the spot.

“They needed someone short enough to fit into the costume, so he was kind of my bridge into working in that sort of venue,” Ava said. 

According to Dad, the owner loved Ava’s interest, and asked her to simply try on the Red Witch costume.

“Ava jumped at the opportunity and after being suited up, it was obvious that they had their new Red Witch for the season,” Rick said.

She loves acting, and so it was no surprise that she spent the Halloween season serving up scares. Last year, Ava became an actor in WeGo Drama productions at West Chicago Community High School: she was asked to join the executive board this school year. 

Getting into acting was a logical transition for Ava, who stands out due to the fact she loves to talk, though performing in front of others was not always easy.

“[The] biggest part of it is being open and communicating with people. I know when I started, it was really nerve-wracking,” Ava said.  

Now, Ava hopes to support her fellow performers in any way possible. She has overcome her fears and looks to help others when they need encouragement. 

“Ava is a good leader because she always tries to make people feel welcome. She is kind and a bit outgoing. Her silly personality attracts many people and she is very friendly to all,” senior Lily Bonilla said.

This past summer, Ava had the opportunity to step up in the organization as a student director for the production of “A Trip to the Moon.”

“Ava has grown a lot since her first play and now looks forward to finding and accepting new challenges with the WeGo Drama Team,” Rick said. 

She has already made a considerable impression as a member of the WeGo Drama team, not only through her work as a student director, but also in taking on roles in “Down the Rabbit Hole” and the upcoming production of “SIX” premiering in November.

“One of Ava’s strengths as an actor is she is very expressive with her emotions. When she is acting she draws you in and you can feel the emotion she is playing,” Bonilla said.

Perhaps it is because of her interest in drama that Ava enjoys Halloween so much. She has a dog called Bandit and she loves to dress him up for the holiday. 

“I was going through an emo phase when I got my dog, and the lead singer of My Chemical Romance, his daughter’s name is Bandit,” Ava said. 

And she loves to annotate books that have suspense and terror in them as well. Perhaps her interest in all things spooky is an innate trait.

“Ava was young when she started to ask if she could watch movies like ‘Child’s Play’ and ‘Annabelle.’  We, of course, told her ‘no,’ but she never lost interest, and soon she was older and started with the cheesy 80s and 90s horror movies,” Rick said.

This story was originally published on Wildcat Chronicle on October 10, 2024.