Friday, Oct. 02, 2009

'Haunted Crack House' set to open in metro-east

The "Haunted Crack House Project," a tailored substance abuse prevention program, will debut in St. Clair County the week of Halloween.

Visitors will walk through the old Shiloh Valley Grange Hall near Mascoutah, which will be transformed into a haunted house with 10 scenes from the tragic life of Liz, a fictional young woman who becomes entangled in the web of addiction.

"Research shows that fear tactics alone are not successful," said Eric B. Johnson, executive director of the project. "Our objective is not to scare you. Our objective is to get you and your family talking about this, and arm you with resources in this community in case you and your family are struggling with this issue."

Johnson said he has worked on four other versions of the project in various states, including in Centreville, Md., where the project began 20 years ago.

Johnson said he grew up in a family that had a history of substance abuse and addiction. He saw the "Haunted Crack House" production as a 13-year-old, and decided to volunteer as an actor in the project.

"This project, I believe, saved me," he said. "It took a small project like this to have a strong impact on my life."

The program has been tailored to address drug use in the metro-east, Johnson said. The script was drafted with input from law enforcement and health officials.

"Alcohol, marijuana and prescription drug use are big issues in this area," Johnson said. "In rural areas, crystal meth use has increased in the last several years. We also will tie in themes of sexual assault and teenage pregnancy."

Teens in the metro-east also are likely to drink and do drugs in a basement.

St. Clair County Sheriff Mearl Justus said the scenes depicted in the production and the progression of events are realistic.

"There's not enough young people who have these problems who have the right opportunity to do something about it," Justus said. "We need to take action and are doing it with this special project."

Police officers, emergency personnel, judges and inmates from St. Clair County will volunteer in the production and play their respective roles.

"We don't go past the line of what would actually happen in St. Clair County," Johnson said. "We have asked police officers to tell us what they see when they bust a party."