Keith Kirk's favourite holiday is Halloween and it only takes one look at his home to see why.
Decorations cover his yard, some temporary like smoke machines and gravestones, others permanent fixtures such as a three foot deep well and 300 pound concrete gargoyles – all leading to one night a year of screams.
"It's fun scaring the [heck] out of people," Kirk told the News Bulletin. "We do it as much for our own personal enjoyment as to give people in the community somewhere safe to go at night, have a good time and celebrate Halloween."
Since 1991, Kirk and his family have been creating the annual haunted house, either at Beban Park or his own home. Kirk said they were inspired by watching Halloween movies on television, prompting them to try it "then it sort of just exploded." Since the beginning, he estimates about $50,000 has been spent on decorations for the holiday.
While none of the decorations are particularly challenging to set-up, he said storage is.
"We actually have a room at the top of our house, our Halloween room... The day my son moved out of the house was the day we filled it full of Halloween stuff."
Children are encouraged to come earlier in the day and adults later in the evening.
"That's why we open at noon, is to allow the small children in the daytime so they don't get too scared..." he said. "We don't target small children to scare them because that's not fair to them, we target the adults."
Guests are encouraged to donate, but it is not required.
Each year a charity is chosen, which donations are given to. Past years have included Cops for Cancer and the local food bank. This year, the Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation and the Kidney Foundation of Canada's B.C. and Yukon branches will be receiving donations.
"The Kidney Foundation because my wife has had a kidney transplant and the hospital foundation because I had a heart problem and we decided that might be a good place to [donate] as well."
For the 2024 year, Kirk told the News Bulletin they have about 8-10 volunteers, many of them family members.
Chris Flynn, Kirk's brother-in-law said he has been involved for decades, travelling up from around Seattle each year for the holiday.
"Every Halloween," Flynn said. "It's quite entertaining."
This year Flynn operates the command centre, which controls some of the creatures which jump out at the visitors. In past years, he said he's seen people running out the yard screaming, while his wife, dressed as an entity known as "the Follower", follows them out.
The haunted house is open at 803 Townsite Rd. until 10:31 p.m.
