Clinton 'Asylum of Terror' haunted house angers N.J. mental-health advocates
By Veronica Slaght/For The Star-Ledger
CLINTON -- Every fall, the Red Mill Museum here hosts a haunted house. But this year’s "Asylum of Terror," has angered mental health advocates who said the theme perpetuates ugly stereotypes. The show, which ends today, warns visitors of hopeless, mindless and deranged patients lurking in dark corners ready to lunge.
"Dementia, paranoia, violent sociopathic behaviors, physical abnormalities and deformities ... these are but a few of the afflictions that torment the wretched souls imprisoned within the walls of the Asylum," reads an advertisement for the haunted house. It continues: "In 1942, the doors of the asylum and the grounds were abruptly closed to the patients and the public after the inmates of the asylum overtook the staff and in one devastating night, tortured and then slaughtered all 200 staff members on duty ... Come if you dare."
Nearly 60 cast members put on the elaborate show, performed every weekend in October at the mill, which is located along the South Branch of the Raritan River in Hunterdon County. Celina Gray, executive director of the Governor’s Council on Mental Health Stigma, said she has heard from dozens of people who are upset by the show’s portrayal of the mentally ill as violent and scary.
"So many people white-knuckle through mental illness and don’t realize how it’s impacting their life," she said. "There could be people out there in the audience who are struggling with a mental illness and will not come out and say a word to anyone now." "I look at it this way," Gray said. "I love Halloween ... but there must be another way to celebrate it."
Responding to a letter about the "Asylum" from the council, Charles Speierl, executive director of the Red Mill Museum, said in an email that he forwarded concerns to event organizers and the museum’s board of trustees. Calls to the museum, which is run by a non-profit organization, were not returned.
Mental health advocates at the national level have also gotten involved. The National Alliance on Mental Illness issued a nationwide alert about the Clinton haunted mill.
"It’s trick or treat time again. We don’t mind ghosts and goblins, but when ‘haunted house’ attractions become ‘insane asylums,’ featuring ‘mental patients’ as murderous ghouls, we protest," reads a message on www.nami.org. The alliance is asking people to e-mail the mill to tell them mental illness is a national, as well as local, concern.
According to the U.S. Surgeon General, stigma is the number one reason why people don’t seek treatment for mental health, said Phil Lubitz, associate director of the New Jersey chapter of NAMI. "There are real consequences for perpetuating this kind of stigma," he said. Clinton Mayor Christine Schaumburg said, "I’m sure there were no bad intentions on the part of the mill." She hadn’t been aware of this year’s theme, she said. Gray agreed. "I’m unbelievably encouraged about the conversation that’s happening ... I think this came out of good people not understanding what it is and what the impact is."
