You know it's autumn when the scent of pumpkin spice latte begins to waft through the air at the Dunkin' in the Stratton Student Center, and students in MIT's Next House residence hall diligently begin to piece together the many parts needed to showcase Next Haunt ' a combination of a Halloween haunted house and escape room, built in the basement of the hall. Every fall since 2014, students ' also known as hauntmasters ' spend several weekends building the room and preparing puzzles, physical tasks, or word challenges to obtain a code to open locks that let participants escape the house. This year's theme, titled 'Where the Light Ends,' follows 'Terror Under Destruction,' 'Next Stop: MBTA,' and last year's theme: 'Get in the HOLE.' Next Haunt is free and open to all MIT students, also known as 'test subjects.' Participants typically spend around 20 minutes in small, dark, enclosed rooms, working with four to six teammates to find the clues they need to escape. Along the way, they...
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