Remember These Crazy ‘Hell Houses’ That Visited Grand Rapids?

While many people love Halloween for the candy or the costumes, the haunted houses have become my favorite part of the holiday. Walking through various sets like an insane asylum, abandoned house, and more, while animatronics and actors try to scare you, is a strange thrill. But these frights are meant to scare you, not traumatize you.

These haunted houses pale in comparison to a traveling experience that revealed something far more terrifying: life. Except, it was run by a Christian group who created a "hell house" showcasing things you could do in your life that would cause one to go to Hell, and people recently shared their experiences of when this exhibit would come through Grand Rapids.

TW: abortion, gun violance, sexual assault, drug use, suicide

What Is A Hell House?

A "hell house," as they have come to be known, is a haunted house-like setup put on by Evangelical Christians that depicts situations where the Devil influences people and shows what happens when you sin.

These scenes were pretty morbid, showcasing scenes of assault, drug use, underage drinking at a party, a car crash, a demon encouraging a girl to commit suicide, a boy almost shoots up a school until he kills himself and is dragged to hell, and a graphic, botched abortion scene to top it all off. Yeesh.

The goal of these houses was to scare kids into believing in Christianity and be "saved" from Hell.

The 99, Grand Rapids' Hell House

Discussions of this type of hell house visiting Grand Rapids back in 2010 recently appeared on the Grand Rapids subreddit. It took place in the old Studio 28 parking lot. The users agree that the home they visited in 2010 was called "The 99", which, thanks to the Wayback Machine, we're able to view the now-defunct website.

Hell House
byu/AmethystTrinket ingrandrapids

READ MORE: Year-Round Haunted House Opening Near Michigan

The 99 is named after a statistic that says 99 young people between the ages of 10 and 25 die every day in the US, with The 99 describing itself as a "walkthrough theater that graphically reenacts the five leading causes of death in teenagers and young adults."

It portrayed the "very real consequences of poor decisions", with The 99 claiming the production is not based on fear or scare tactics (though this first-hand account from a former actor would beg to differ).

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Instead, let the reality of the situation be the real fear factor. Scenes like a car crash, another a drug overdose, and then a gang fight, and then a suicide were all depicted in front of young and impressionable kids. 

As crazy as these Hell Houses seem, attendance at their peak hit 15,000 people. While these houses have diminished in popularity, the premise of these definitely not scare-tactic houses was pretty wild. I think I'll stick to my monster and ghoul haunted houses this October.

Below is a 2001 documentary about the Hell House that Trinity Church used to put on, and it includes graphic imagery, but it is the best depiction of these houses.