‘You’re next…’

Rosser

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This article was published 18/10/2023 (1105 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Six Pines Haunted Attractions, located in Rosser, Man, is extremely welcoming for a murder scene.

For the last 25 years, couple James and Judy Thevenot, with help from their team and family, have been preparing actor-powered haunted houses from scratch — with new sets every year. This time around, the haunted attraction is presenting Insane Asylum; Psycho Killerz; Ground Zero; and Lulu’s Mystery Estate.

The last of these — also the site’s newest addition — draws inspiration from Hanna-Barbera’s Scooby-Doo, whose iconic characters and Mystery Machine make a somewhat bloody appearance in the site’s Scare Zone, a neutral spot where visitors can grab a meal or drink.

“It was getting harder to think of things (after so much time),” James Thevenot said as he manoeuvred through the Insane Asylum attraction (clowns are a fan favourite, according to Thevenot). “But now, with my son, it’s crazy, the ideas we come up with.”

Thevenot has worked on several local movie sets, and enjoys drawing inspiration in from both sides of the coin. For example, Psycho Killerz is entirely inspired by classic horror flicks, including the Saw and Halloween franchises.

While mannequins — bloodied, snarling and bruised — occupy almost every room, and scream boxes hide around several corners, Thevenot takes the most pride from the fact that visitors will also be haunted by real actors, which creates a submersive, terrifying experience.

“It really freaks people out,” he said. “You know, people don’t know they’re real when they’re really real.”

The actors range from tall and hulking to shorter folks who can hide underneath props and pop out when visitors least expect them.

A notable example, Thevenot said, is an actor who’s chained to the ceiling in one of the houses, and swoops down to scare unsuspecting people as they walk by.

Six Pines Haunted Attractions iss a “family fun by day, fear by night” operation, Thevenot said. Families, younger children, and those who prefer a milder experience are encouraged to visit during daytime hours for attractions such as the brand-new, interactive mystery hunt in Lulu’s Mystery Estate.

The weekend flashlight haunt, operated through mobile devices, directs kids through the haunted house on a team-building, mystery adventure directed by Shaggy and Scooby-Doo.

This haunt will be available Saturdays, Oct. 21 and 28 (2 to 5 p.m.), and Sundays, Oct. 22 and 29 (2 to 6 p.m.). Time slots can be reserved online.

Also returning is the Ecto-1 Cadillac, from the 1984 Halloween hit, Ghostbusters, accompanied by replicas from the movie.

Six Pines’s night hours (for those aged 15 and over) are 6:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Thursdays to Sundays, and 7 to 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 30 and 31.

Six Pines Haunted Attractions will remain open until Oct. 31.

Tickets and passes — both day and night — can be purchased online at sixpineshaunted.com