FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- A high school project took a frightening turn for an 85-year-old Framingham woman.

NewsCenter 5's Steve Lacy reported that Louise Gaston said that she got the shock of her life when she opened her door Monday.

"I thought it was something that fell out of the planet, because that is how scary he looked," Gaston said. "I was shaken up so I couldn't even stand up straight. I was shocked."

After undergoing eye surgery Monday, Gaston answered her door and saw a person dressed in a scary costume.

"The doorbell rang. I always look through my peephole to see who it is, but I didn't this time because I thought it was my nephew coming back to see how I was doing," Gaston said.

Instead, it was an 18-year-old Framingham High School senior who was dressed for Halloween.

"He had a black hood, black leotards, and he had a skeleton rubber mask on," she said.

It was part of a sociology project at the high school that was meant to measure people's responses when placed in certain situations.

"Everyone in the class was saying it was a project. It just happened that this lady freaked out a little bit. It is nothing intentional. That was the project," student Joe Barrile said.

According to the school's principal, it was not part of a project. "Everyone is really upset about this at the school. The student now realizes his serious lapse in judgment," the school said in a statement.

The teen could face a charge of disorderly conduct.

"This in the opinion of the police department is equivalent of going into a movie theater and yelling, 'Fire,'" Framingham Police Department Lt. Paul Shastany said.