What goes into a good scare? Meet 2 brothers from London, Ont. who design scary
WARNING: Images in this story are graphic and may be disturbing to some
What started out as spooky decor to attract more trick-or-treaters to their great grandmother's house has evolved into a heart pounding, thrill seeking experience for the Bell brothers from London, Ont.
Brendan and Barrett Bell have operated Byron Scary House for 18 years, and for the last 2 years their haunted attraction has made a home at the city's Fanshawe Pioneer Village. When the sun goes down, they say the backdrop of historic buildings is perfect for a Halloween haunt.
"We do it for the spirit of Halloween, for the DIY nature of creating nightmares," Barrett said.
Enter if you dare
The attraction, called The Abandoned Village, sprawls through six of the historic buildings and leads fear-seekers on a twisted and terrifying journey they won't soon forget.
It's an adult theme, genuinely terrifying at times, with 40 hand-made, life-sized mannequins (or parts of mannequins) carefully placed throughout the tour. The Bell brothers say they spend months dreaming up the stuff that nightmares are made of, then they spend weeks building.
Barrett says he handcrafts the cadavers, using Brendan as a model for most of them. The result is so real that nothing in stores can match the props.
Not for "scaredy cats"
In addition to mind-blowing decor and set pieces, there are approximately 40 scare actors or "haunts" that patrons will run into on their journey.
Toby Lowe is haunt who's been working with Byron Scary House for 8 years. He says he watches people and scares them in different ways. The jump scares are so real, Lowe says guests are asked to check their fight or flight response before entering, and to place hands in pockets, if that response is to fight.
