Friday, Oct. 31, 2008

Local Haunted House Offering Scares for a Cause

Collected Canned Foods for Community Storehouse; Proceeds Go to Boys Select Baseball Team

By Sarah Junek

Staff Writer

Making one’s way to the threshold of this local haunted house can be a scary encounter for any mortal, especially for 4-year-old Carson Reddell and his 6-year-old brother Camron. The pair passed strings of orange and purple lights covering a dark cemetery full of skeletons and a pumpkin stage coach with green eyes before reaching an enormous black spider hanging over the door.

Even scarier than crossing over into the spookiness that awaits, is the anticipation for children and parents in line as the first brave souls exit the garage running and screaming.

Once inside, however, a fortune teller calms the nerves of younger patrons. As Carson held his dad’s hand, the elderly woman read his fortune for the evening.

With wide-eyes and a racing heartbeat, he responded with silent nods as he looked back for his dad’s familiar face in the dark room.

"You’re going to have to be very brave tonight," said the woman. "You’re going to live, but you have to be brave," she told both boys as they were ushered into the next room with the instruction to scream if they must, but whatever else they did, don’t cry.

As they were guided past Dracula’s den, and a witches’ kitchen before entering the maze where other costumed actors reached out with a scary welcome, Carson made his way into his dad’s arms with more than a few mentions of being scared and tucked his head into the saftey of dad’s chest. Camron led the way bravely on foot with only his mom’s hand to stem his mounting fear.

"Ah, you are just in time for my experiment," said Dr. Frankenstein in one of the rooms before Frankenstein’s monster emerged from a table at the sounds and flashes of lightning deep inside the garage tunnel maze.

The haunted house, which is located at 601 Comal Court in Keller, is an experience most children will remember.

It began after the Stallcups decorated for Christmas when they moved in to the house six years ago. Someone came by and asked if they did tours, said Stephanie Stallcup. Realizing the house already looked like a castle with its interior finishes and exterior winding stair architecture and turrets, she recalled how much fun she had as a child visiting a haunted house in Hillsboro. The haunted house began the following autumn.

"With each year it just became bigger and bigger," Stephanie said, until they had to cancel it last year when she had back surgery. That year Hidden Lakes got so many calls about it they had to send out an e-mail, said James Stallcup, Stephanie’s husband. The house, which is back on track this year, generates a steady stream of cars during Halloween and Christmas as people drive by to view the outside decorations.

Contributing to the building of the maze and Frankenstein table, which can literally crank to lift Frankenstein to an upright position, and anything else that requires tools, James said with pride, "If I’m gonna build it, I do it right."

The table is complete with electric current globes on top and a strobe light and sound to simulate lighting flashes. The family said it takes them two months to set up the decorations and two storage units: one for Halloween and one for Christmas.

When asked why she does the haunted house, Stephanie said, "I’ve felt fortunate in my life. I love giving things to others, so for the little kids to come through and have that memory, it’s just awesome."

The last night it’s open, Halloween night, will go from 7 to 10:30 p.m. It costs each visitor a $5 donation and a canned good, to be donated to Community Storehouse. This year’s proceeds go to the boys select baseball team, Team Mizuno Texas. Players and parents of the young team participate as some of the 30 actors in the house, ranging from Jason to Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean.

James said the fire marshal inspected the electrical work this year and the family set up a port-a-potty nearby to handle the volume of people that have been coming to see the house and take the tour.

Although a bit scary for the younger kids,14-year-old Seth McDonald, who said he’s been to lots of haunted houses, left with a huge smile.

"Dude, it’s bad," he said.

His sister, Macey, 7, a bit slower to respond, nodded her head when asked if she was glad she decided to keep going when she got scared.