The scariest night of the year is here, Fright Night! Hosted by Link Crew, this thrilling annual event transforms Santiago High School into a world of fright and fun. From twisting haunted mazes and creepy zombies to delicious food, music, and spooky games, Fright Night promises an unforgettable evening filled with screams and laughter.
Fright Night featured two mazes: a hospital-themed maze in the C building, with zombie scarers dressed in bloody hospital gowns, and a forest-themed maze in the theater, where students dressed as zombies in flannel added a country twist. Renaissance sold pizza, and a vendor offered tacos, hot dogs, lemonade, and more, all given a spooky, zombie-themed touch. The event also featured fun activities, including face painting, bracelet making, and movie screenings, which added to the festive Fright Night atmosphere.
Behind every jump scare and eerie decoration is the hard work and creativity of Santiago’s Link Crew, who spend months planning every terrifying detail. Behind the scenes, Santiago’s Link Crew members reveal the blood, sweat, and fears that transform ordinary classrooms into nightmare fuel, and why they believe this tradition brings the school together in unexpected ways.
Co-Presidents:
Can you walk me through the entire planning process for Fright Night from the first idea to the night of the event?
“We start planning Fright Night on the first day of school. We know it’s going to take a lot of planning and the weekend by starting budget setting and figuring out the prices of everything, and we’ll find a theme and then pick decorations based on the theme and start assembling things and getting volunteers ready so that it runs smoothly.” Olivia Downs (12)
How does this event show what Link Crew is all about?
“It shows everyone how, at the end of the day, we can all come together and celebrate a big holiday and unite the freshmen. Since it’s one of our first big freshman events, just to see how they can get involved and show how, at the end of the day, school can be fun.” Samantha Murillo (12)
Vice President:
How did your role as vice president allow you to support both leaders in the rest of the crew during Fright Night?
“It’s helped me be able to talk to everybody and not just have a certain job where I do certain stuff with people, I get to talk to everybody and really just help and oversee stuff as well.” Kierland Flaherty (11)
Link Crew Members:
Can you describe what the energy feels like behind the scenes, what’s going on before guests even arrive?
“It’s very active, and we’re kind of just hustling around to get things done before everybody shows up. I think it brings everyone closer together because we’re all struggling in a way; it brings us together under stress.” Savannah Hoang (11)
“It’s definitely stressful putting everything together, making sure that everything’s perfect and that nobody’s going to trip or see the faults in it, because we work so hard, trying to make it a fun experience for everyone. It basically feels like you’re just about to perform, even though you’re not a scare actor, it feels like you’re the one putting on a show.” Talia Tavares (11)
“It feels like a baking competition where it’s purposely meant to be very, very stressful because we’ve been preparing for this for months. It’s incredible when everything comes together and people are having fun, but during setup, you have to work around the clock. Luckily, we have a great team to handle that. Ahmad Fayad (12)
