Braintree's Haunted House Expands, Adds New Scares

Last October, shortly before Braintree's Haunted House kicked off its 32nd year, two 53-foot trailers, used for storage and each about one-third full of equipment, were stolen from behind the Plain Street warehouse.

The volunteers were shocked. After all, the trailers had been there for years and barely seemed moveable.

But the group, which raises a significant amount of money each year for the Highlands and Liberty school PTOs, stayed focused and put on three successful nights of its Kärnəvəl of Kärnij.

This year, despite the loss of supplies and storage space, Braintree's Haunted House has returned bigger (and scarier) than ever. Thanks to donations made shortly after last Halloween, the haunted house later this week will be more than twice as large as last year's, coming in at more than 5,000 square feet.

"This is hands down the largest one," said Justin Casanova, one of the organizers whose children attend Liberty and who began his volunteerism three years ago by bringing in a tree stump. He quickly took up painting sets and characters and this year helped design the floor plans.

"It's a ton of work, but it's also worth it," Casanova said. "This is the year it took a quantum leap in size and quality."

To fill all that space, volunteers have been setting up dozens of animatronics and other creepy effects, many of them donated by Gary Jenks, who for decades ran a "mad scientist" haunted house at his home in Waltham. 

Braintree's theme this year is "Mayhem at Murder Mansion" and entry will cost the same as last year: $5 on Thursday, Oct. 24 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for a "not-so-scary-night" and $7 on Friday and Saturday, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Revenue from the haunted house helps the Liberty and Highlands PTOs pay for text books, computers, class trips, teacher training, extra curricular activities and more.

Jenks, who runs a small machine shop, saw a report of last year's burglary on TV and, having already decided he was getting a little old to operate his haunted house every year, donated three, 45-foot trailers and the many animatronics he had bought or created over the years.

"They had the excitement about Halloween that I had," Jenks said of his first meeting with the Braintree group. "[The equipment] would be used and they would enjoy it."

Jenks has stopped by the Plain Street warehouse a couple times this season to offer advice on set-up and to see how his animatronics are being used. Another donor, Chris Graham, whose family owns Hanover-based Graham Built Inc., also saw news of the theft last fall and gave the group a 53-foot trailer.

Braintree's Haunted House now has plenty of storage and supplies, and worked with warehouse owner F.X. Messina, who provides the space free of charge, to bolster security.

Still, despite the turnaround, the group is always on the lookout for volunteers. The construction and most of the set-up work is done for this year, but Casanova said they can always use people to man the games and food table, help break-down afterward, and dress up and scare guests. 

"The animatronics are great, but there's no substitute for live acting," Casanova said. "You take on a different persona, and you just scare the pants off people."

Visit http://braintreeshauntedhouse.com for more information on Braintree's Haunted House and on how to volunteer.