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September 21, 2010
Screams are the stuff at the Haunted Power House
Posted by Blaine Kyllo
This October, when the ghouls and goblins come out of hiding, when the witches and warlocks plan their mischievous tricks, the scariest place to be in the Lower Mainland may be the Power House at Stave Falls.
For the fourth year in a row, the staff at the BC Hydro facility will be staging a haunted house, and it is not for the faint of heart.
Last year's haunted house was based on the horror film Jeepers Creepers. This year's theme is Hell.
Janis Schultz is the tour guide leader at the Power House at Stave Falls in Mission, and she's confident the haunted house rivals any other Halloween event in the Lower Mainland.
"The whole Power House is transformed," she says on the phone from the Stave Falls facility, which is fully decorated for the event. "Visitors start at one end and can go only one way through the building."
Scary, but safe
The gift shop at the front of the Power House is the last lighted area you'll see if you visit the Power House this October. You'll wait for your turn with other brave souls in the theatre watching The Ring, which will be playing continuously.
In the four years of staging the event, the Power House has collected a number of props, decorations and costumes, including a guillotine and electric chair, to chain saws and machetes which are wielded by demented volunteers. Every step along the path through the Power House is filled with wretched anticipation.
Too scary? Use a flashlight
As she starts talking about the floating coffin from last year, I realize I've got chills running down my spine. Janis laughs at me.
"Last year I walked it with a little buddy who was 4, and he was fine," she says. "And I knew a 13-year-old who wouldn't go past the theatre because she freaked. Every kid is different, every adult is different."
Flashlights are available for any nervous types, and volunteers are instructed not to leap out at anyone carrying a light.
The volunteers for the Haunted Power House come from the Mission and Maple Ridge school districts, where high school students are expected to earn volunteer hours as a graduation requirement. Last year, Janis said they had between 30 and 50 volunteers a night.
People love the haunted house, says Janis. "We have people come back every year."
And in 2009, more than 1,800 people came out for a scare.
After the final fright, visitors can relax at the Mission Food Centre's hot dog sale.
BC Hydro Outreach will be at the Power House October 26-28, dispensing great tips and giveaways, including glow-in-the-dark trick-or-treat bags to those who can demonstrate they understand what a safe Halloween is all about.
The Haunted Power House at Stave Falls is open to the public from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., starting on Friday, October 22 and running until Thursday, October 28. Admission is $5, and partial proceeds go to the Mission Food Centre.
Blaine Kyllo is a North Vancouver-based freelance writer and regular contributor to bchydro.com.
Play it safe this Halloween, a message hammered home by preventable.ca (below)
