Albany teen's haunted house fundraiser open despite opposition
ALBANY, Calif. (KGO) -- Despite opposition from neighbors and some members of city government, an Albany teenager's homemade haunted house will be open for business Friday night.
The nightmare trick-or-treaters will walk into is 15-year-old Sam DuBois' dream. His elaborate homemade haunted house will finally come to life Friday night, but getting here has been a nightmare in itself.
"I was always thinking in the back of my mind, 'Will this happen?' That was kind of hard, but you know... and there was a lot of stress," he said.
VIDEO: Albany teen's contested haunted house becomes smash hit
A neighbor fought his creation and then appealed the city's decision to allow it. DuBois beat the appeal this week and is now ready for some Halloween fun.
"I am really excited because we're going to finally open up and everyone can see what I have created," he said.
It's very creative, very professional, very well thought out.
DuBois' mom, Holly, said she realized his love for Halloween when he was just 10 years old. "I said, 'Hey, why don't you decorate the basement and make a little haunted house?' I had no idea what I was unleashing when I told him that and the kids had a ton of fun. Other than that, I think at some point somebody locked their mom in a basement. That wasn't so good," she said.
There are no basements this year, but people walking through will experience everything in a child's nightmare. His friends have been trained to play different scary parts throughout the house and they are looking forward to scaring the heck out of everyone.
"I love it when everybody starts going through and you hear the screams of people and people tell you how awesome the event was," DuBois said.
The haunted house is all happening in the back yard this year. The past couple of years it has been in the driveway but to keep neighbors happy, he's moved it.
VIDEO: Albany teen's haunted house fundraiser upsets neighbors
The haunted house, located at 1048 Peralta Avenue in Albany, is open from 7-9:30 p.m. Friday night and 6-10 p.m. Saturday night.
There is a suggested donation of $5 for the Alameda County Food Bank.
For young children wanting to experience the haunted house, there is a gentler version per request.
