Haunted House Worker Reportedly Stabs Ohio Boy With Real Knife

Though only a handful of horror movies have been made about actual murderous shenanigans happening at a haunted house attraction (recent hits Haunt, Hell Fest, and The Houses October Built series to name a few) one location has come under scrutiny after an actor injured an attendee with a real knife. According to a report from ABC 5 News Cleveland, police were called to the “7 Floors of Hell” haunted house on Saturday, September 25th after reports of someone being stabbed. Upon arriving on the scene they learned the story wasn’t as salacious as that might seem at first but that a knife inflicted injury did take place.

The outlet notes that a 22-year-old actor at the attraction reportedly replaced his prop Bowie knife for a real one and after being antagonized by an attendee, an 11-year-old boy who was present with his family, began to stab the knife on the ground near his feet, ultimately slicing into his shoe and cutting his big toe. The Berea Police Department confirmed to the outlet that the actor had been charged with negligent assault.

“He walked up to my son and he was holding the knife and his intentions were to scare him, but my son responded to him by saying, ‘That’s fake. I’m not scared,’” Karen Bednarski, the victim’s mother, told ABC5. “The biggest thing for me is, you know, I don’t understand the mental state of this man…There’s got to be something wrong with him, and he should not be working at an establishment like that. That’s what makes me upset.”

Rodney Geffert, president of Night Scream Entertainment the parent company of 7 Floors of Hell, also spoke to the outlet and reportedly had not made a decision on employment status of the accused. 

According to the official website for 7 Floors Of Hell, it’s “one of the top rated haunted houses in the nation.” Their site reports that ever year they chance as much as 50% of their rooms to keep their scares fresh. The location includes “7 completely different themed haunted attractions” and promises “hours” of entertainment. Whether the time spent in an Urgent Care getting your toe stitched back together is included in that calculation was not confirmed at press time.

Those eager to see other fictional accounts of the above, with more than just toe stabbing, can also seek out Hell House LLC, Waxwork, and The Funhouse.

(Photo by Nico Schimmelpfennig/picture alliance via Getty Images)