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Heritage haunted house brings chills to Saanich

Hundreds expected for the Heritage Haunted House
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Keeping it creepy, guests at the Heritage Haunted House can expect thrills and blood-curdling scenes. The 12th annual event goes Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. (Heritage Haunted House Facebook photo)

The Heritage Haunted House in Saanich is back with an all new theme of based on horror movie haunts and scares for 2018.

It’s the 12th year the Burbank family will open the doors of their Marigold neighbourhood home to the public from 5:30 to 9 p.m., at 3808 Heritage Lane. They do it to raise money for Help Fill A Dream. The event raised $4,000 last year and has raised $10,000 over the past four years.

The haunted house is a full-scale production that takes weeks to set up with 55 volunteers in all. It encompasses the entire yard and parts of the home. Each outdoor tent and room within the 1915 California bungalow has a unique scene presented in high detail.

Read More: Take a walk through the Heritage Haunted House

However, it’s all under wraps for now, keeping the surprise to full effect.

“You won’t know what the scene is until you get into the first tent,” organizer Carly Burbank said.

One thing that remains the same is that the event is not recommended for children 12 and under (it can even be too much for some adults). Burbank suggests a braver soul walk through the house first before any unsure members of the party sacrifice themselves.

Read More: Saanich’s spookiest family scares up donations for sick kids

Severed heads dangle from branches, clowns creep from behind, and live haunts make it a legitimately scary experience though the goal is to thrill without making guests jump. It’s become one of the most popular Halloween events in Greater Victoria, with an hour long lineup, so get there earlier in the night to beat the lineup, Burbank said.

Entrance is a suggested $10 donation to Help Fill A Dream. There’s also a $15 express lane to skip the lineup, which grew to an hour long last year.

“We also introduced a child swap option for this year so two parents can use the same [$10] single pass, one at a time, while the other parent hangs out in our Nightmare Before Christmas area [that’s kid friendly] in the yard,” Burbank said. “Parents doing this can also bypass the line.”

Burbank also recommends parking at Spectrum Community school (which leaves its parking lot open for this) and walking the short distance over. There is limited parking on neighbouring Cardie Court but “please don’t block driveways,” Burbank asked.


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