Nice to scare you

Rosser

Winnipeg

The world can be a scary place — and what better way to escape the fears of everyday life than to envelop yourself in creepy crawlies, killer clowns and giant SFX werewolves?

Six Pines Haunted Attractions is back for its 27th year. Up until Halloween — Friday, Oct. 31 — “souls” or “victims” from Winnipeg and beyond are welcome to step inside its immersive, themed haunted houses and get a terrifying taste of Halloween fun.

“There’s so many summer events all the time, but not many October events (when we started),” said Judy Thevenot, who runs the show with her husband, James, along with their two kids, Thomas and Tessa. “It was a very cool way to bring in the fall.

“James and I both grew up loving Halloween. That’s why when we started (the barn tours), we wanted to do something for October. It just seemed like a natural progression,” she said.

Every year — beginning in May, as soon as the snow thaws — the family revamps the barn and accompanying haunted houses and decks the halls with props, antique items, and hand-made creations supporting a certain theme.

Last year marked the first edition of Six Nights at Freddy’s, a play on the popular video game and movie franchise Five Nights at Freddy’s, which has returned with a new area depicting the basement of the haunted family pizza restaurant where the original games took place.

Keeping in tune with its tradition of parodying pop culture, Six Pines’ brand-new area this time around is Terror Train, which has transported participants to Nevermore Academy, the fictional boarding school from Netflix’s Wednesday series, a spin-off of The Addams Family. In front of Nevermore sits a black Cadillac hearse — (empty casket included) — purchased at an auction and the newest edition of the attraction’s family of vehicles, which also includes a replica of the Mystery Machine and a Ghostbusters car.

In terms of original adventures, visitors can also brave Carnevil Haunted House’s Pinky’s Bloodbath — “basically a lot of blood and gore” — and for younger participants “seeking chills without the screams,” a family ghoul flashlight hunt is being held on select dates.

Attractions are rated on a scale of creepiness, Thevenot said, with Pinky’s Bloodbath being the most extreme and Terror Train teetering more on the theatrical side. Although the family spends a great deal of time and funds on props, the heart and soul of the haunted journey are the many live actors.

“We’re an actor-driven, interactive haunt,” Thevenot said, adding that the paid staff are incredibly dedicated, and some of her favourite moments during the Halloween season come from sitting with everyone after Six Pines has closed for the night and listening to the cast tell stories about scares from that day.

“I think that’s why we get excited every year, it’s because we change everything,” Thevenot said. “And we want to see if people like the changes we’ve made.”

She said she can always tell the last time someone’s visited based on what the theme that year was.

“Some staff were here as little kids … and now, with the flashlight tours, they’re bringing their kids through. It is cool to see how it’s come full circle.”

It’s similar behind-the-scenes, too, as Thomas — who also creates props and has been a scare actor since he was a kid — aims to take over the family business once his parents retire.

The stretch of Oct. 23 to Oct. 25 is the last weekend people can join the fun of this year’s themes before the week of Halloween, but Six Pines will also operate on Oct. 29 to Oct. 31.

Six Pines is located at 69-058 Sturgeon Rd., Rosser, Man. For more information or to buy tickets, visit sixpineshaunted.com