Boy's basement a den of horror / LJWorld.com

Archive for Saturday, October 27, 2007

October 27, 2007

Spooky home haunts West Lawrence

The government estimates that some 36 million 'Trick-or-Treaters' will haunt U.S. neighborhoods Wednesday, but for the few who make an early stop this weekend at one West Lawrence home, they're in for more of a treat than a trick! Enlarge video

Photo by Mike Yoder

Jacob Hood, 12, foreground, and some of his ghoulish family and friends have created a haunted basement at Jacob's home in west Lawrence. From left are Geoff Peard, 10, Jacob, Ryan Osburn, 11, Madelyn Lawrence, 11, and Sarah Hood, 7. Jacob will lead visitors on a tour of the haunted basement this weekend.

On the street

Have you ever been to a haunted house?

Yeah, one in Topeka. It was a two-story house out in the country by Forbes Field. I was kind of little, so it was pretty scary with everyone jumping out to scare you and everything.

— Jill Wright

More responses

Sinister laughter and blood-curdling screams emanate from Jacob Hood's west Lawrence basement.

It's not a good place to go, Jacob warns, especially this time of year.

"Sometimes I go down there just to make sure everything is OK, and I feel spooked out," the 12-year-old said.

Warn he might, but neighborhood children have been flocking to Jacob's home this month, where the haunted basement tour offers all the spooky sounds, sights and spirit of Halloween.

"It's definitely my favorite holiday," Jacob said. "I don't really think there's enough Halloween things around Lawrence, and I thought it would be really cool to make something really clever and something people could enjoy right here."

Jacob opens his doors each weekend and leads kids through the darkened space, telling the story of the old McFinigon Manor. According to the tale he has woven, Jacob's basement is the only surviving part of an old mansion that once loomed over the grounds - a mansion with a fateful story tied to it. And the story can send chills down your spine.

"Some people scream and some people just laugh, but mostly it's screaming," said Madelyn Lawrence, 11, who assists in the production.

Bones dangle from the basement's ceiling. Cobwebs hug the corners. A mirror flashes a skeletal image. And the sounds of screaming and crying never cease.

Some tricks are activated by sensors. Others are at the hands of Jacob's friends, who linger in the dark.

The crew includes Geoff Peard, 10, and Ryan Osburn, 11. Jacob's younger sister Sarah Hood, 7, also assists.

The haunted basement began years ago, when Jacob was 4 years old. It started with boxes decorated with macabre drawings, which Jacob made his family crawl through. As Jacob grew, the cardboard got bigger until he used refrigerator boxes. And each year, the project became more elaborate.

This year, he developed a story behind the horror, and he turned it into a movie that he put on YouTube. And he opened his house to friends who brought other friends who brought other friends.

"It's really evolved each week into something bigger and bigger," said Tracy Hood, Jacob's mother.

If creepy is what kids seek, it can be found in Jacob's basement. Geoff scaled the fright factor.

"I'd say from one to five, probably five," he said.

Ryan said it's not a good place to go alone.

"It is extremely scary," he said. "When you look around and see something move, you can't tell if it's real or not."

Discussion

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27 October 2007
at 4:09 p.m.

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thebcman (Anonymous) says…

I wonder how many city codes this kid is breaking. And what about insurance? What happens if somebody trips, falls, and cracks their skull open? Haunted Houses are just begging for a lawsuit.
27 October 2007
at 8:58 p.m.

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FormerCentralKansan (Anonymous) says…

Nothing says Halloween like a skeleton dressed up in a tuxedo and a top-hat! Great pic LJW!
27 October 2007
at 9:27 p.m.

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Confrontation (Anonymous) says…

Creative kid. The video is pretty entertaining:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSYEjt…