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This article was published 03/10/2024 (729 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You’ve heard of the Addams Family and the Munsters, but in Manitoba the first family of Halloween fun is the Thevenots.

For 26 years, James and Judy Thevenot, with their children and team, have operated Six Pines Haunted Attractions. Located in the Rural Municipality of Rosser (four kilometres north of the Perimeter Highway on Sturgeon Road), Six Pines offers interactive, theatrical haunted houses that feature new themes annually.

“We’re different every year and I think that’s why people come back to us every year,” James says. “You’re gonna go through the same buildings … but you’re not gonna see the same thing or the same actors.”

Six Pines kicked off its 2024 season Thursday. The company is presenting Cannibal Clowns, the Cellar and an Elizabethan mansion-themed attraction called the Raven’s Manor.

A fourth attraction, called Sixth Night at Freddy’s, is modelled after the popular Five Nights at Freddy’s video game series, which inspired a 2023 film of the same name and celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

“Hopefully, people come here this year and enjoy what we did,” says Thomas, the youngest of James and Judy’s three children. “There’s lots of new stuff this year.”

James was self-employed restoring cars and building hot rods and Judy was a bookkeeper, when the couple bought Six Pines in the 1990s. Judy had grown up on a farm and was drawn to the 45-acre piece of land whenever the couple drove by it.

At the time, Six Pines was an agritourism farm where school groups could learn about animals. The couple kept that side of the business going and added the haunted house attraction in 1998.

Judy’s passion for Halloween predates Six Pines.

“I was whatever age and I was still dressed up in costume on Halloween going to the office,” she says. “I always decorated the front of our house for trick-or-treaters and had the front area (inside) the house (decorated) like a little haunted house. My mother did the same thing, so I grew up with it that way on the farm.”

There’s something mysterious about Halloween, Judy says, and it can be an entertaining escape from real life.

“You’re kind of able to forget about the everyday stresses for a while and just go and enjoy yourself,” she says. “Ultimately, it’s about having fun.”

That desire to have fun — and be together as a family — drives the Thevenots’ business today.

While their eldest child isn’t involved in the day-to-day operations, middle child Tessa serves as creative director and Thomas helps his parents as a jack of all trades. The eldest of two grandsons has also gotten involved in recent years.

The family employs around 75 part-time staff during October, including the venue’s actors, who are trained during a four-day orientation the family calls “Nightmare Academy.”

In addition to the haunted houses, Six Pines sells food and invites visitors to walk down Nightmare Alley: a row of photo-op stations, including one modelled after the popular Netflix series Stranger Things.

Visitors can get a close look at the 1959 Cadillac Sayers & Scovill ambulance James restored 20 years ago into the distinctive Ecto-1 from the Ghostbusters film series, as well as a replica of the Mystery Machine from Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! — complete with zombified versions of Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby.

This year’s additions include the Ghoulish Gift Shop Art Gallery, which features local art. A caricature artist, tarot card readers, musicians and a Beetlejuice impersonator will be on site on select nights.

For individuals too young to participate in the evening haunts, and adults who find the nighttime experience too intense, Six Pines offers the Ghoul Daytime Flashlight Haunt. Visitors can bring their own flashlights and explore the attractions during the day, when the actors aren’t present and the atmosphere is less intense.

The Thevenots belong to the Haunted Attraction Association, a worldwide network of professionals who work in the industry. The family draws inspiration from the dozens of themed attractions they have visited in the United States over the years.

They have invested tens of thousands of dollars into the props that adorn their haunted houses, commission custom-made costumes, employ a makeup artist, and James collaborates with a professional from the local film industry to record original music and sound effects each year.

It’s a lot of work.

“During October, if I get to bed before two o’clock in the morning, I might be lucky,” Judy says. “It’s not a nine-to-five job. Anybody who thinks that it’s a nine-to-five job shouldn’t be in the business.”

However, it’s worth it.

“People laughing, people coming up to me at the ticket booth telling me it was so good — that’s my joy,” Judy says.

For Thomas, it’s the community that surrounds the business that makes the work worthwhile.

“We’ve had a lot of returning staff throughout the years,” he says. “Some of them have been with us over 10 years — that sort of thing. And I’ve made some really, really good friends as well. It’s our October family, we like to call it. We see all of our staff that way.”

Halloween is big business. In October 2023, polling firm Leger found, on average, Canadians will spend $64.20 on costumes, candy, decorations and other Halloween-related expenses. This average increases to $115.80 among parents.

In the U.S., the National Retail Federation’s annual Halloween consumer survey revealed total spending is expected to reach US$11.6 billion this year.

The Thevenots prefer not to discuss numbers. When asked how many people visit Six Pines each October, Judy says: “Enough to keep the snacks running low.”

While Winnipeggers have more options now when it comes to Halloween attractions than they did when Six Pines opened in 1998, the Thevenots aren’t worried.

“I suppose we’re all in it together,” Judy says. “They’re all different and that’s probably what’s great about it — they’re all unique. And we should all be there supporting each other.”

The Thevenots are eagerly anticipating this year’s crowds, and while this year’s season has just started, they’re already making plans for 2025’s haunts.

“We’re excited this year to see what everybody’s thoughts are going through with all the different changes and some of the different characters,” James says. “Every year’s exciting.”

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca