Freaks on Fourth: Beware!
<p>Makeup artist McKayla Braddy paints actor Trey Smith's face black and orange prior to opening night of the The Post Falls Lions Club's Haunted House last Friday night.</p>
<p>The Post Falls Lions Club's Haunted House fundraiser at the corner of Fourth and Post will be open the next three Fridays and Saturdays from 7 to 11 p.m., along with Oct. 25-27 and Oct. 30-31 from 7 to 10 p.m. Cost is $7 per person or $5 with two cans of food that will be donated to the Post Falls Food Bank.</p>
<p>Werewolf actor Chance Johnson tries on a costume top prior to opening night of the Post Falls Haunted House last Friday.</p>
POST FALLS — Post Falls Lions Club members — that kind-hearted bunch who do good for the community — also have warped minds each October.
They're excused, especially since they've been dreaming up new ways since July to scare the bejeebers out of people to raise money for residents in need of eye and hearing care, student scholarships and high school clubs.
The Lions are in the 40th year of holding the Haunted House fundraiser — its largest campaign of the year. The house at the corner of Fourth and Post will be open the next three Fridays and Saturdays from 7 to 11 p.m., along with Oct. 25-27 and Oct. 30-31 from 7 to 10 p.m.
"My wife calls it my mistress," Lion Mike Jarrett said. "She loses me the whole month of October. I love scaring people."
Amy Smith can attest to that with this group. She was among about 300 who dared to enter the house during the opening weekend last week. It was one of the most well-attended opening weekends since the fundraiser started.
"I thought that I was going to wet my pants," Smith said, shortly after emerging from the darkness and noise with friends. "It's really scary in there, especially when you don't know what's coming next. It freaked me out."
Lion Rick Steele said those who "lose it" in the mayhem shouldn't feel embarrassed because they're not alone.
"If somebody goes in wearing a sweatshirt and coming out with it around their waist, we know that it got significantly interesting in there," he said. "We've had a couple of those so far."
Steele said the house, despite other Halloween attractions in the area, remains alive (and dead at the same time). He said the club plans to continue to spook folks in the foreseeable future.
"If you want to be entertained, go to other venues," Steele said. "if you really want to be scared, come to Post Falls. We've heard from several people that we've got the scariest place around."
Club members have been revamping the house every Thursday since July and tacked on Saturdays in September.
"We have some guys who've stayed awake at night with their warped senses, and we've looked on the internet to see what other places far away have been up to so that we're not copying anything close," Steele said. "We've got a lot of imagination."
The route of the maze inside of the house has been changed and new features include a bottomless pit and a medical operating room. Zombies, clowns, baby dolls and, um well, others await thrill seekers. And there's a new twist to the spinning tunnel.
The fundraiser has typically attracted between 5,000 and 6,000 visitors each October.
"There's darkness — tons of darkness," Jarrett said. "A few people have been scared enough that they shed tears.
"After 40 years, we kind of know what we're doing. We enjoy scaring the daylights out of people, making money at it and giving it right back to the community."
If you go
The Post Falls Lions Club’s Haunted House fundraiser at the corner of Fourth and Post will be open the next three Fridays and Saturdays from 7 to 11 p.m., along with Oct. 25-27 and Oct. 30-31 from 7 to 10 p.m. Cost is $7 per person or $5 with two cans of food that will be donated to the Post Falls Food Bank. Concessions are available. A covered waiting area will hold about 100 people.