There are 215 carved pumpkins in front of the home of Julie Allein, but that's just the introduction to a haunted house that has been scaring the bejeebus out of kids and adults alike for nearly two decades.
"It's all about the fright," says Allein.
Her barn is converted into two stories of horror show, with carved up body parts, cadavers and sculls and a ghoulish funeral that features a dead Michael Jackson as a guest.
Amazingly, it takes Allein and her family only about a month to prepare for the Halloween haunt, and that includes each of the 215 carved pumpkins, gutted by her mother-in-law and cut by Allein. Each one has a unique design.
She might not start the work until early October, but "the mind's always turning" she says, and she tries to think of ways of improving on the previous year's effort.
"It’s grown throughout the years, adding a bit here in there, but probably the last five years we can’t grow any more, so we just change it every year," Allein said. "This year, we made a real casket. It’s a lot of fun."
The Allein's haunted barn is located at 8894 Boyce Road. It will be open Halloween evening and admission is free.
Top photo, courtesy Julie Allein.
