- As a full nonprofit, the haunt is put together solely through volunteers. Around 35 people came together to make this year's terrifying scene happen.
- In its third year, Tehachapi Terror is in its largest location yet—with even more opportunities to scare. They are still looking for “blackout” volunteers whose job is to keep both actors and attendees safe.
- The haunted house will be open to the public Oct. 20 through 22 and Oct. 27 through 29.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
When driving down Tehachapi Boulevard, a green house on the corner may not stand out, but it’s what’s on the inside that will give you a fright.
Halloween season is upon us, and Tehachapi Terror is back for another haunting.
This is their third year in Tehachapi. Co-founders Steph and Paul Saladino sought to create a free and fun way for their community to celebrate Halloween.
And for Steph, haunting is nothing new.
"I grew up doing haunted houses. Me and my family did what’s called a ‘home haunt’ in our yard for many, many years. I started when I was 12,” Saladino says.
In an effort to bring their community together for a frightening weekend, the Saladinos ended up creating a whole new community of their own.
“The kind of community that we’ve built amongst the volunteers has been incredible, I mean, the friends that we’ve made–we’re a little family. i know that sounds cheesy and overused, but it is very true,” Saladino explained.
The group keeps in touch outside of October, too.
“You can always count on them to help out with other projects, which is probably the best part. It's not a seasonal thing,” scare actor Justice Anderson said.
This year, a lot of the makeup will be done by John Bayless, who’s worked on numerous movie and T.V. sets. His makeup skills earned him an Emmy in 2008 for the HBO miniseries “John Adams.”
His kit is complete with all of the fake blood and scars you could imagine.
“I'm hoping to do a lot of it by airbrush just because it kinda goes a little faster and it stays on a little bit longer,” says Bayless.
Opening weekend is fast approaching, and after all of the preparation, Saladino is ready to welcome people into the experience.
“Working to get this built over the course of several very long weekends–oh, I'm so excited to see what the community thinks," Saladino says. "At the heart of it, that’s what we’re trying to do is provide something really, really fun for the community. So I'm really eager to get their thoughts and, of course, hear their screams.”
The haunt opens to the public on October 20. For more information, you can visit their Facebook page.
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