PACIFIC BEACH, Calif. (KGTV) – It's all hands-on deck as Rob Christ, his family and friends transform their family home into a haunted house.
"This year, we're super excited! We have like 50 people who helped build this haunted house, from local businesses and a lot of friends and family. And it's just been a really great experience for us,” Christ said.
But the last two years, the skeletons have been put in a literal closet.
"And we had a lot of energy and wanted to put something together. But, you know, because of the pandemic, we had to kind of hold off for a little bit,” Christ said.
The pandemic forced the Christ family to err on the side of caution not to have a haunted house.
"You see how much work and time everybody puts into this. So, we didn't want to do that and have another wave come through and cancel,” Kirsten Christ said.
Now, dozens of people put in plenty of effort to transform the Diamond Street home into the house of horrors.
One of those folks is Jennifer Broadbenz, who's known the Christ family for a spell and helped put on the first haunted house six years ago.
"I missed all of that sense of structure, and knowing that I was going to have a time to see all of my friends every single Friday for eight or nine weeks. It's going to be great. And we missed that — really missed that,” Broadbenz said.
As All Hallows' Eve approaches, seeing the maze and exhibits come to life means a lot to the Christ family and others, despite the fact the house might scare people half to death.
"That's what makes it worth it. Like, 'Oh my gosh, all this work just for Halloween;' just to really have a lot of fun and just to have everybody scream and be like, 'This is so great. We wait for it every year,’” Broadbenz said.
"You know, for us, it just fills us up with excitement and warmth knowing that, you know, we can help out and provide a lot of enjoyment for the community.” Christ said.
Doors open from 6 to 10 p.m. on Halloween with a chance for voluntary donations at the haunted house, which will go to Pacific Beach Middle School.
