Kevin and Dana McGettigan may be more excited than any other family for this weekend’s All Hallows’ Eve.
The two will be spending the days leading up to Halloween designing bloody props, “clown zones” and zombie-themed surprises as they reopen their Fairless Hills haunted house for the first time in three years.
Advertisements
“In 2019, if you remember, we had a really bad storm which would’ve destroyed our props on Halloween. And last year we had the pandemic and decided to be safe when it came to large crowds,” according to Kevin McGettigan, 40, co-organizer of the event and owner of McGettigan Landscaping, which sponsors the event.
The haunted house is located on 218 Waltham Road in Falls Township’s Fairless Hills section and lasts from about 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
What started in 2008 as an opportunity for Kevin to bond with his step-son Tyler, the haunted house now attracts a couple hundred people each Halloween, while another couple hundred people will shuffle around and stand across the street in fear of entering the neighborhood attraction.
Advertisements
“[Some people] will walk up but won’t come in,” said Kevin’s wife Dana, 41, of Fairless Hills.
And she doesn’t blame them. The event can be quite scary for those who don’t enjoy a quick jump-scare. This year’s haunted house will feature clowns, zombies, ghouls and other surprises: enough to keep the scardiest of cats from the front entrance.
Advertisements
“I get it. I’m a scaredy cat too: I don’t like scaring people or being scared,” Dana said.
Instead, Dana will be out front handing out candy to children, dreaming of the coming months.
“I prefer Christmas,” she laughs.
Advertisements
But Kevin McGettigan and his crew of volunteer employees from McGettingan Landscaping will be ready for the bravest of hearts to walk onto the property on Sunday night. Roughly 25-30 employees, family members and friends will help take part in the event.
The event usually takes four to five days to set up, and this year will feature a photo booth for families to walk up and take pictures. The idea, Kevin and Dana said, in lieu of the ongoing pandemic, is to keep groups of families and friends as socially distant as possible during the event.
Advertisements
While the original inspiration for the event was to spend time with his step-son, who is now 22, Dana and Kevin are excited for their seven-year-old daughter to enjoy her first year where she is old enough to participate.
“She’s very excited but she can also be a scaredy cat. But we do have little kids that are in the haunted house participating, so that will help,” Dana said.
Advertisements
Kevin, who grew up on the street for 40 years, remembers the joy of autumn and pumpkin picking and, of course, trick-or-treating. He said he would be so excited when a neighbor would invite kids in with a spooky living room or a jump-scare.
Now, he gets to provide that same excitement (and terror) to others in the community. So much so that neighbors will set up tables outside to watch as families walk in and then quickly walk out.
Advertisements
But for even the youngest of attendees that dare to step into the haunted house, Kevin said most performers will remove their masks and some will even walk along with the children to calm their nerves.
And if that doesn’t work? He tells most children to say the same to the monsters that haunt the home on Waltham Road.
“If you’re scared: tell them to go pick a booger and keep walking.”
Advertisements
Report a correction via email | Editorial standards and policies
