After over a decade of bringing Greater Victoria resident’s nightmares to life, the Heritage Haunted House is closing its doors.
Carly Burbank and her family have been transforming their heritage home into a frightening fundraiser for 15 years now. What started as a small event with a handful of horrifying props quickly grew into a Halloween staple for many people.
The Burbank family and volunteers were soon spending months each fall transforming their 6,000-square-foot home and yard into a place of horror.
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Over the years they came up with all kinds of chilling themes, each paying homage to a cult classic horror film — Terminus, The Circus Freakshow and The Nightmare Before Christmas, to name a few.
Every year, the Burbanks donated ticket sales from the event to the Help Fill a Dream Foundation, food banks and various other charities. In total, Heritage Haunted House raised $20,000 for Help Fill a Dream, and thousands more for other charities.
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“We are hoping that people still choose to support local charities during this time,” Carly Burbank said in a press release.
With COVID-19 restrictions in place, charities have been finding it increasingly difficult to raise the funds they need to support their operations.
Help Fill a Dream Foundation is a Vancouver Island charity that supports children who have been diagnosed with life-threatening conditions.
“As parents, none of us ever want to imagine our children being sick, let alone having to be without the financial means to receive the treatment required. That is really terrifying,” Burbank said.
Although the haunted house is no more, the Burbanks are still hoping people will visit their family-friendly Nightmare Before Christmas display between Nov. 15 and mid-January.
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