When Jonathan Schwartz was a child, he remembers other boys in his neighbourhood egging his house on Halloween.
To take revenge, he hid in the bushes with a mask and a baseball bat, jumped out and screamed at them.
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“They were so scared,” he told Global News.
“What was I going to do? I wasn’t going to do anything.”
He now lives in Laval – an adult, yes, but he never quite lost his love of Halloween.
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Every year, leading up to the spooky holiday, Schwartz converts his home into a haunted labyrinth, inviting people to come – for free – and try to scare him.
Reclaiming urban space
Schwartz is part of what one McGill University academic explains is a growing urban trend.
As 30- and 40-something year-olds become homeowners, many are increasingly turning their homes into miniature funhouses during the month of October.
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“In my generation, people were concerned with things like razor blades in apples,” said Will Straw, a professor of art history and communication studies at McGill.
“But people are reclaiming urban spaces now.”
The haunted maze Schwartz creates involves about a week’s worth of work, using at least $500 worth of wood and sheets.
He also buys about $400 worth of candy a year to give out.
“I’m a regular at Costco,” he said laughing.
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