Family scares up quality time while constructing haunted house
By Darleen Principe darleen@theacorn.com

Photos by IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers A GOOD SCARE - Witches and warlocks line a long corridor in the Killips family's haunted house on Sebring Avenue in Simi Valley. Kyle Killips, top right, and his family construct the haunted house for Halloween every year and offer it to trick-or-treaters for free.

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The haunted house on Sebring Avenue is not for the faint of heart.

But don't worry. If you're hesitant to take the plunge into the dark unknown by yourself, perhaps 6-year-old Courtney Killips will give you a guided tour.

"It doesn't even faze her," said Kyle Killips, Courtney's father. "The kids aren't scared, but the adults- they go crazy."

Every Halloween, creatures of the night find their way into the twists and turns of Killips' haunted house, which he constructs on his parent's driveway at 2185 Sebring Ave.

It's a labor of love that the father of two and his family open up to the community every year for free, just to add a little something extra to the neighbor-hood's traditional trick-or-treat offerings.

It's also a way for Killips, who's turning 36 on Oct. 27, to celebrate his birthday.

"He's a Halloween baby," said Cindy Fike, Killips' mother. "This is just his time of year."

Last year, Killips' haunted house attracted more than 400 visitors on Halloween night, many from nearby neighborhoods but others who traveled from as far away as Burbank to walk through the maze, Fike said.

"It's a good time to become a kid again," she said. "You don't get that chance often when you're grown up. It's so fun to hear people laugh and then scream and then laugh and then scream again."

The first haunted house the family put up six years ago was just a small attraction housed in two 10-by-10-foot easy-up canopies.

This year, the maze, which has grown to 1,100 square feet, has been enhanced by a few spooky additions that might be better left for discovery.

"It's a little darker and bigger," Killips said. "People don't realize how much it keeps going and going."

KID COURAGE- No stranger to scare tactics, 6year-old Courtney Killips checks out an oil drum overflowing with fake body parts and green foam in the haunted house her family puts together annually in Simi Valley. IRIS SMOOT Acorn Newspapers

With the help of family, friends and neighbors, Killips usually begins setting up the maze in early October.

They open the haunted house for visitors the weekend before Halloween and on the actual holiday.

"It's something that creates a lot of excitement for everybody, especially the kids," said Ramon Garcia, Fike's next-door neighbor.

Garcia's 4-year-old son, Jack, and other kids from the neighborhood have grown up experiencing the haunted house. Jack, who can run through the maze without a flinch, said his favorite part of the haunted house is "the aliens."

"They're cool," he said.

The props and framework for the haunted house take three to four weeks to set up.

Most of the walls this year are made from wood and scrap material that Killips takes home from work.

Fike said she thinks they've mastered how to deal with the October winds- they use her truck to support the structure.

Inside, the maze is full of dark corners and hidden "gotcha zones" for Killips and his family to hide in costume, waiting to make their next scare. Some of the props are motion sensitive and others are rigged to pop up at random intervals.

The haunted house will be open from 6 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 26, 27 and 31. Admission is free.

The Killips and Fike families are dedicating this year's haunted house to Forrest Fike, Killips' father, who passed away in June.

"Halloween brings my family together for a whole month, not just for one day," Killips said.