The Nightmare Avenue Haunted House has been scaring people in October for over a decade.
It started off as spooks and screams from inside a home in the Sutherland area of Saskatoon. It has now morphed into a scare maze inside a barn in the hamlet of Neuanlage.
Neuanlage is roughly 30 minutes north of Saskatoon just off Highway 11.
Haunted house co-founder Jeremy Bacon said it comes down to a love of everything that comes with Halloween besides the candy and trick-or-treating.
Preparing for the haunted house began in August.
“It’s just something that we can all have fun with,” Bacon said. “I’ve always enjoyed scary stuff, scaring people. It’s always a fun time for me.
“We build it around people’s fears. We try to figure out what are the biggest fears and touching points are for people.”
This year’s edition featured more than a dozen volunteers helping provide the scares inside the barn. It also features a number of animatronics and pictures to keep people on their toes, not knowing what’s coming next.
“We do have lots of manpower and hours going into it with all the different areas that you can experience,” haunted house volunteer Brandi Tolofson said. “It’s something for everyone’s fears.”
They even tailor the scare level based on what each individual can handle.
Bacon said because of a complaint and issue with the RM of Rosthern, the structure they had planned to build and host the haunted house had to be scrapped, so they used his garage as a temporary staging area.
Now they are using an old barn on a neighbour’s property a couple of houses down in Neuanlage.
It’s this kind of reception from the community and Halloween die-hards alike that has them wanting to up to ante each year.
“We get people from all over coming out,” Tolofson said. “We had one guest who came out by himself so nothing would be spoiled. He told us this is the best haunted house they have experienced.”
Her daughter Mikaylah is helping out with the necessary scares and screams inside the barn.
“It’s fun to do it, to meet people, spend time with family and scare people when they are not expecting it.”
Brandi said all donations made go back into maintenance and upkeep for the haunted house.
All visitors will have to wear masks and follow health protocols in place.
The haunted house is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 7 to 11 p.m., through the rest of October and, of course, Halloween Sunday. They will open earlier on Halloween for a kickoff for kids.