‘Everyone loves it’: Homemade house of horrors a hit in N.B. neighbourhood

It seems like every neighbourhood has that one house where the owner goes all out with the Halloween spirit every year.

On a quiet street in West Riverview, that home belongs to Kevin Whittaker.

For the past 18 years, Whittaker has been scaring kids, and some grown ups, with his horrific collection of the dead and undead on his front lawn.

“People will walk down the street on the 30th of September wanting to know when does it go up. We can’t wait. And then I see them every day for the rest of the month,” said Kevin.

• IN PICTURES: Homemade House of Horrors

His family loves all of it and they help him with the two-day setup every spooky season.

His 18-year-old son Riley-Malcom said his dad takes a great sense of pride in his macabre homemade decorations.

There’s everything from a projection screen, graveyard, an interactive tunnel, zombies, a creature spewing radioactive waste and the devil himself watches over it all.

“That’s kind of the biggest thing for me, to see his excitement for it. For people to come by, they’re excited to see it up. It kind of gives him joy,” said Riley-Malcolm.

Whittaker puts everything up at the start of October and then does a bit of tinkering right up to the big day.

The reaction from the kids can be quite varied.

“Some of them, they’re quite scared. They don’t even really want to come up the driveway,” said Riley-Malcolm. “But some of the kids, we had one the other day when I was here, I had just got back from running errands, she was here with her mom, a little girl and the mom wanted to take her to go and she was actually crying because she didn’t want to leave.”

Whitaker almost didn’t put everything out this year.

“I’m getting older. It’s getting harder to put it out and dig it out, but it’s the kids that come by and want to know when it’s going out and just enjoy it. I guess I’m an old softie,” said Kevin.

His neighbours love it too.

“It’s great. It’s fun to have,” said Jerry Laforest who lives across the street. “We love it. We welcome it.”

Both of Laforest’s kids have moved out but they still come to see Whitaker’s nightmarish collection every year.

So too does much of the neighbourhood on Halloween night.

“It’s crazy, a lot of people. That’s what we like,” said Laforest.

Nothing from the fright night display has ever been stolen or vandalized, but if that were to happen Whittaker would call it a day.

For now, he’ll keep going because he loves it as much as his family, neighbours and trick-or-treaters.

“I really do. Figuring out new things to do, that’s exciting for me. I enjoy doing it,” said Kevin.

But the day will eventually come when he’ll pack up all the electrical cords, masks, old clothes, bones, blood and guts and retire his terrifying exhibit.

“I’ll probably just call in a dumpster,” said Kevin.

The family lives on Asburn Avenue in Riverview and welcome sight seekers.

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