In 1913, a group of local kids disappeared from the neighborhood. Their bodies were found in the hut of Frau Helga Mueller, a German immigrant who had moved to the area in the late 1800s.
After the discover, she was never seen again, but written in blood on the wall of her home was ‘”Ich komme weider” (‘I’ll be back’). Every 20 years since then, the neighborhood has been cursed by a tragedy. In 1933, a group of trick-or-treaters were coaxed into the basement of a local couple and tortured.
In 1973, a Halloween party went awry when the guests carved each other instead of the pumpkins.
In 1993, a house burned down when a person spontaneously combusted in bed.
Now, in 2013, six college students have gone missing and police are investigating.
Jon Libbesmeier loosely crafted this tale around the stories he heard while stationed at an Army post in Babenhausen, Germany. The real Frau Helga Mueller was burned for witchcraft in the 16th century. Today he uses these stories to set the scene for his haunted house on Florida Avenue.
“I was that kid who’d stay home to scare the other kids instead of going trick-or-treating,”
Libbesmeier said. “I’ve just always enjoyed scaring people.”
After building haunted houses everywhere from his garage as a little boy to army posts throughout his military career, Libbesmeier was excited for the challenge of creating a haunted house in D.C. He and a small, close-knit team began searching for a location almost a year ago, finally signing the lease for an empty warehouse this May.
Starting from scratch, they built everything from the set to the props, working until opening day on Sept. 27.
“We’re the new kid on the block, so it was slow the first couple of weeks but it’s picked up and it’s gotten pretty steady,” Libbesmeier said, adding that their attendance was up to 800 people this past Saturday night.
The live actors in the production create much of the haunted house’s theatrical experience. Anthony Casalotti, a student at Montgomery College, is both a makeup artist and an actor for the production.
“I was really excited for them because I wanted this to be the haunted house I worked with every year, so I wanted them to succeed,” Casalotti said.
Through makeup and acting, Casalotti aims to give visitors of his haunted house the scare of their lives.
“I love to see everyone scream,” Casalotti said. “Last Friday I got two people that pissed themselves over how much I scared them and I felt so accomplished.”
In addition to creating a spooky attraction this Halloween for the D.C. community, the team is donating a portion of proceeds to Operation Rebound, an organization that provides aid to disabled veterans.
Located on 50 Florida Ave NE, “The Curse of Frau Mueller” is open every night from now until Nov. 2 from 7 p.m. to midnight.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.gravensteen.net/index.html or at the door. A $5 discount is offered to AU students with an ID.
