Family shares love of scares
Posted By NICK GARDINER , R & T STAFF WRITER
Leonard and Fran Campbell think Halloween is a scream.
The Edward Street couple has become so devoted to the occasion, they have turned their two-car garage into a haunted maze to entertain children and adults with a similar affection for Halloween.
"I always liked Halloween," Fran Campbell told a Recorder and Times reporter during a pre- Halloween sneak-peak of the ghostly maze Thursday.
"I grew up watching horror movies and did the same with my kids. Now that they're grown up, they help us out."
It's not just their daughters Lisa and Amanda who dress in costume to help scare visitors on the winding three-minute tour that concludes with a well-earned treat.
Brothers, sisters, cousins and friends also dress up and add to the pandemonium as visitors walk -or run -past strategically placed spiders, skeletons, ghosts, and witches while a cacophony of ghoulish noises play out over speakers.
Black lights and strobes add to the frightening atmosphere.
Leonard Campbell said it cost about $500 to buy all the material for the maze, pointing out Fran saves when she can by finding items on sale.
Some people, even adults, find the maze a little too much to take, said Leonard Campbell.
For those scare-sensitive children, a treat is available without having to go through the maze, he said.
Otherwise, walkie-talkies are used to advise volunteers when small children are coming through the maze and to hold off on the more frightening theatrics.
Some adults might also be better off skipping the maze, judging by the reaction of a few parents who came by with their kids last year, he said.
One father in particular went screaming out of the maze to the delight of his laughing children, said Campbell.
"That's what I love, seeing the adults scared. Sometimes the kids handle it better. They're like, 'That was cool,' and some will go through again.
"Just seeing the reaction of people is a lot of fun."
It's also quite loud, especially when teenaged girls come through in groups.
"You might want to be wearing earplugs," said Fran Campbell.
Despite the scary surroundings, Leonard Campbell said there's no evil intent intended by the celebration. Instead, it's only meant to be a fun time in safe surroundings.
There is no charge but donations for the King's Kitchen community dinners will be accepted with thanks, he said.
He said about 125 children, teens and adults went through the maze last year and they can handle close to 200 on Halloween this year.
For early starters, the maze will be open tonight from 6 to 9 p. m.
The maze is open for five hours on Halloween Saturday from 5 to 10 p. m.
On Halloween, as well, the Campbells will direct visitors to another maze set up by neighbours three doors down Edward Street.
Like the Campbells, Jill Bernier has been celebrating Halloween in a big way for a few years.
Trick-or-treaters used to be invited into an appropriately decorated fun house in her Edward Street home.
"Last year we had it on the deck and the front yard and now we're in the back yard," said Bernier.
Bernier said she shops frugally for Halloween items and makes many of them herself.
"My mom is crafty and she likes making things, so this is perfect," said Angie Bernier, who lives next door to her mother and is providing the back yard space for this year's elaborate maze.
Jill Bernier said 14 people, including family and friends, will help on Saturday to make the tour an event to remember.
They will also take care not to scare little children and use walkie-talkies to advise volunteers to tone down their frightening behaviour accordingly, she said.
The movement towards more elaborate family Halloween celebrations has also caught on in the private sector.
Fort Wellington offers a special program for a fee for visitors on Halloween, while the Colonel's Inn on King Street has a free-of-charge celebration that attracted about 300 people last year.
In Brockville, meanwhile, the Ink Brigade tattoo parlour on Perth Street has created an elaborate Halloween fun house that is open for visitors tonight and Saturday starting at 7 p. m.
nickg@recorder.ca