University of Wisconsin-Madison students explored Science Hall’s rumored hauntings in an interactive haunted house experience Wednesday hosted by the Nelson Institute Ambassadors in collaboration with Japanese Student Association (JSA) and Intermission Theater.
Starting in 2013, the annual Fright Night gives Science Hall a frightening makeover, decorating the building with cobwebs, skeletons, candles and spiders while giving visitors a spooky self-guided tour of the building to celebrate Halloween and the building’s history.
Visitors began their experience by watching a promotional video on Fright Fest in the room anatomy and pre-med students used to dissect human bodies.
In addition to being one of the oldest buildings at UW-Madison, Science Hall’s notorious ghost stories have been a part of campus culture since it was built. Before receiving their own buildings, Science Hall used to host all of the science departments on campus, including the anatomy department.
The anatomy department could play a role in the many ghost sightings in the building, due to their cadaver chute and human body parts found throughout the building, even after the department moved out in 1957. Ever since, students and faculty have reported seeing ghosts roaming the hallways and hearing unusual footsteps behind them inside the building.
After watching the video, students ascended to the fifth floor in the building’s old-timey elevator, following a dimly-lit maze leading them to a “doll room” filled with scare actors — played by JSA members, Intermission Theater actors and volunteers — as creepy dolls.
“The actors there were absolutely phenomenal. When they started following us, I started getting really intimidated because I was not expecting them to do that whatsoever,” UW-Madison student Christy Ortiz said.
While Fright Night has long-captivated members of the Madison community, this year’s event was bittersweet, as the building is set to undergo renovations in 2027.
“I feel like there's definitely a lot of lore and history about this building,” JSA President Julie Walsh said. “If you do your research in terms of what this building was originally used for, there's been cadavers here in the past, and [we] want to pay homage to that before it gets remodeled.”
