For two years I have seen the signs indicating a haunted house within the community of Douglas Glen yet have never managed to check it out. This year, I began walking by the house which hosts the attraction, watching the owners building and setting up their garage and converting it into something that was proving to be very intriguing. Sitting outside their house throughout the year are often two older-style hearses, which, honestly, are something I would absolutely love to own! These people are truly Halloween fanatics and I was eager to support their efforts this year.
After running out of candy (yes, we suck) and turning off our lights, Bryan and I ventured out on the lovely Halloween night to visit the haunted house. I was expecting it to be fairly busy but as we rounded the curve in the street, the sounds of excitement and Halloween ghouls floated towards us, enticing us and drawing us near. The cars were lined up for blocks on either side of the street surrounding the house, haphazardly parked around corners and in places they likely should not have been. People will out milling in the street, kids running and screaming across the boulevard.
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| My favorite outdoor decoration of theirs - isn't this girl creepy?? |
The house itself was magnificent - I had not yet seen the extent of these people's efforts in my walks so I was very happily surprised with how decorative and imaginative they were in the entire set up. They had one hearse up on the lawn bordering a makeshift zombie/frightful graveyard; an electric chair was set up for people to sit in and experience the 'shock' when someone turned it on unexpectedly; a truly amazing exhibit of a life-size person in a coffin with a shovel jammed through his jaw! This haunted house was seriously impressive!
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| I want this! |
As we waited in line to go through the actual 'haunted house', located entirely within the homeowners' garage, we were expecting to be asked to pay to view the exhibits. However, as no one had approached us yet and a lady was seated behind a table with various Halloween decorations, I thought I should ask about payment. It turns out, the haunted house is technically free to whomever is interested, but donations are appreciated and all proceeds go to the
Oops-a-Dazy pet rescue foundation - what an awesome and generous idea!
As we waited to enter the haunted house, various actors wandered throughout the crowd, scaring adolescent girls and just plain being creepy as they stood too close to you, staring, without so much as a 'boo!' Added to the haunted house, these people really added a lot to the entire experience and much thanks should go out to their willingness to volunteer their time - they should know how much we appreciated their presence!
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| One of the volunteer actors creeping around the crowd outside. |
Inside the haunted house, the entire visit was short, under 5 minutes, but the exhibits were amazing. Dark corridors were illuminated by pulsing, intermittent light that left you in the pitch black, waiting for what may come next. My favorite character was the Nazi soldier who just stood there, looking eerie and frightening as he stared unrelenting at us. Something about soldiers, especially those of Armys known for their truly awful behaviour, really creeps me out.
This haunted house was not an amateur effort - the inside had great, scary characters and awesome mechanical props to improve upon the experience. For anyone out and about on Halloween next year, I do recommend that this place be checked out and these people supported. My bucket list contains one item that is very important to me: design and create a haunted house/asylum experience. I can only hope to be as creative as these neighbours of ours!
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| The entrance into the Haunted House. |
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| Me in the cemetery, sitting with a skeleton. |
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| The outdoor graveyard with the hearse in the background. There was a wooden coffin inside it, too! |
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| Bryan - he was very impressed by this attraction! |
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