You don’t have to go far to be scared out of your mind this October.
For the fifth consecutive year, the Gilford Haunted Mansion has returned. Located on a property at 2008 Gilford Rd., guests enter through a “cemetery” decorated with tombstones, coffins and skeletons, and even a grave marking the death of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
They wind their way past a huge Jack Skellington inflatable to an old horse barn — the mansion — where their senses are overloaded with different areas for almost every nightmare scenario. There’s a doll room, a maze, a witch’s lair, an operating room and a hallway with giant spiders.
The mansion is brought to life by about 25 volunteers, including family, friends and many high-school drama students.
“Seeing the little kids go through, we always try to put into them that they’re really brave for going through and that maybe they should go through again with the lights off,” said organizer Bennie Dunsmoor, a New Jersey Devils fan, if you’re wondering.
The mansion was first organized in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when trick-or-treating was at risk of being cancelled over health concerns. Dunsmoor decked out his home and invited people inside, as long as they signed a waiver.
While the experience was neat, the family was surrounded by Halloween for close to three months while they built and dismantled displays.
“When we did it in the house, we had to start setup in September and do teardown in November, which meant we lived in that mess of haunted-house stuff,” Dunsmoor said. “It took a toll on the family. I had to work at five o’clock in the morning and animatronics were sometimes left on. You’re on your way to work and then there’s something moving down the hallway. I was like, ‘I don’t have the strength for this, Jesus.’”
So the next year, the mansion was relocated to the barn. This also allows Dunsmoor to keep the rooms intact or under renovation year-round. They’re constantly trying to improve the space, with many of its elements being constructed out of scrap material or purchased at liquidation or heavily discounted prices.
“Working up here in the summertime is absolutely horrible; you burn up,” he said, laughing.
Hundreds of people enter the mansion each year, including many returning customers, Dunsmoor said.
The mansion now runs each night until Oct. 30. It is open from 5 to 7 p.m. for children, before getting scarier between 7 and 10 p.m.
Why close on Halloween? Because Dunsmoor and his fiancée will be getting married in the “cemetery” that night.
“It’s all coming together,” he said.
Admission is cash only and set at $8 per adult and $2 for each child. After upkeep and maintenance costs are covered, remaining proceeds will benefit Community 4 Kids, Innisfil Food Bank and South Simcoe Pet Food Bank.
For more details, visit the mansion’s Facebook page.
