A haunting trail of fears
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on October 31, 2017 5:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Dennis Webb stands in the "It" clown-inspired section of the Haunted Trail in his backyard. One hundred people showed up to the trail that was only open for one night, Saturday, by personal invite. Several of his co-workers and family helped with preparation and acted as spooks.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Painted dolls hang from the limbs of one of the trees toward the end of the trail. Even though the decorations are meant to be spooky, Webb wanted his attraction to be family friendly.
Dennis Webb has a goal of one day creating a full-scale haunted mansion.
Until then, a heavily wooded area behind his house will do.
Webb and a group of friends took three days to construct a haunted trail behind his home, near Stoney Creek Park, where close to 100 friends and guests got a little spooked over the weekend.
It was all in fun -- with ghosts, skeletons, a graveyard and a small clown, hanging from a tree, inspired by the horror movie "It." On the ground nearby were several red balloons.
"It was creepy, yes," he said. "It was family oriented."
Webb and friends, Jordan Wise and Jeff Teague, built the trail with 66 wood stakes and 50 brown tarps in an area where lights, music and other props were added.
"When you drop a red light on the woods, it's instantly creepy," he said.
Webb and friends picked different areas where they jumped out at guests. A red and black lawnmower was decorated for Halloween and driven toward visitors along a wide section of the haunted path. A lady also sat inside a hot tub, made to look like a boiling witches brew -- one of the more popular areas along the trail.
Along with friends, Webb's daughter, Emma, also participated by dressing up as a pirate. She led guests along the haunted trail throughout the night.
The trail was filled with skeletons, tombstones and skulls. Several dolls dangled from the trees. The winding trail was created to be scary but without too much gore, Webb said.
Efforts were also made to ensure safety for guests.
"It's just fun," Webb said.
The haunted trail was only open to guests by invitation, in an effort to keep the event low-key but also fun. Webb hopes to eventually find a place where he can create a haunted mansion that's large enough that it can become a public event.
"It's been on my bucket list forever to do a haunted mansion," Webb said.
The haunted trail was kept under wraps so that only invited guests would attend. Webb plans to continue hosting the events in future years, but not on the larger public scale at this point.
"We'll do it next year," he said. "Every year, I'll top myself. Just having someone enjoy something you're creating is exciting."