Dorothy's trip down the yellow brick road gets a horror-movie makeover starting Friday, October 23, when Kaimuki High School opens Theatre of Terrors: OZ, its fifth annual Halloween haunted house. Students have spent weeks turning the Kaimuki High School Performing Arts Center's main stage into a twisted version of the Land of Oz, complete with the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion reimagined for scares rather than song.
The attraction, inspired by The Wizard of Oz, depicts a darker version of Dorothy's journey, according to Hawaii News Now. Kaimuki High students began building the large-scale set in September, and they created the story, sets, costumes, makeup and props themselves. Director Noah Punohu Nakachi said students built almost everything visible in the haunted house and came up with ideas he would not have thought of himself.
This year's build is the latest chapter in a haunted house tradition that has shifted themes nearly every season. The Kaimuki High School Performing Arts Center's haunted maze has previously tackled “The Missing” in 2023, “Asylum” in 2024 and “Murder Hotel” in 2025, according to the Kaimuki High School Performing Arts Center. The annual haunted house raises money for student productions, theater supplies and travel.
More Than 40 Students, Many From Other Oahu Campuses
The production features more than 40 student performers and stage technicians, drawing participants from Kaimuki High and other schools.
Nakachi, who teaches acting at Kaimuki High, brings experience wrangling large multi-campus casts to the haunted house. He directed Hawaii's premiere production of Beetlejuice Jr. in March 2025, leading a 23-student cast pulled from multiple Oahu campuses, according to the Hawaii Department of Education
. He said the students had amazing ideas this year that he would not have thought of on his own.
Ticket Sales Fund Student Supplies and Travel
Proceeds from the haunted house support student productions, theater supplies and travel, and Nakachi said the money goes directly back to students, with attendees directly supporting them. Behind the concession stand, program coordinator MJ Matsushita runs Fenceline Bakery, selling homemade baked goods to raise auxiliary funds for the theater program, a detail the center highlights in its own event materials. Matsushita also directs technical design and set construction for the annual attraction.
The performing arts center traces its roots to founding director Peggy Anne Siegmund, who taught acting and directed more than 60 mainstage productions during her tenure at the school, according to The Actors' Group.
Ticket Prices
At $20 for general admission, Theatre of Terrors: OZ undercuts Honolulu's commercial Halloween attractions by a wide margin. Waikiki Trolley's Trial of Fears: Island Quarantine, which Hoodline covered this month in a story about visitors trapped in a fake outbreak on Queen Street, charges $38 for general admission this October. The price gap reflects a broader split between high-tech commercial escape experiences and the community-driven, student-built alternative Kaimuki High offers.
What to Know Before You Go
Performances run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday this weekend, then again October 28 through October 30, at the Kaimuki High School Performing Arts Center. The experience is recommended for people ages 13 and older, though organizers offer a low-scare option upon request for those who want a gentler version of the maze. Tickets are available at khspac.org.
