Halloween Thrills Return In NorCal As Haunted Houses Allowed Back Inside
RANCHO CORDOVA (CBS13) — Haunted Houses are back after COVID canceled the Halloween festivities last year. The haunted attractions are bringing fright back to Northern California.
"I fully expect to not have this voice when I come out at the end of the night," said haunted house fan Keith Hues.
Screams and spooks are back again.
"My stomach is so queasy right now, the anticipation of being scared out of my mind is just crazy," said Shelia Jackson who was at Heartstoppers Haunted House.
Ghouls and goblins at Heartstoppers Haunted House in Rancho Cordova are back inside this year after a pandemic pause brought outdoor drive-thru haunted houses in 2020. Due to COVID concerns, haunted houses last year could only operate outside, leaving many to cut their season short.
"It just fills me with joy hearing everyone running and screaming. Last time with the drive-thru, we could see them being scared in the car but that was more fun versus scary. This is just straight-up terror," explained Heartstoppers Owner and Director Joel Watson.
Last year, the haunted house was only open for three days for their drive-thru operation. This year the team will continue to scare people throughout the month of October with 13 dates on the calendar. The pandemic is still impacting operations, the team is still operating at limited capacity.
Keith Hues missed the festivities for the first time last year due to COVID.
"Now that COVID is over, we will be here every year," explained Hues. "They are really scary, there is a gal with crutches that about made me wet my pants two years ago."
This Halloween tradition was resurrected, bringing even more chills.
"Life is scary on its own, so you might as well have some fun with it," Hues said.
