When it comes to decorating for Halloween, the Quarto family leaves no ghastly piece of earth unturned at their Burnaby home on Dundas Street.
Husband-and-wife team Sandra and Tony handle the front-yard decorations, while their 28-year-old son Francesco amasses a small army of friends to turn the backyard into a Halloween display of monstrous proportions.
The Dundas Nightmare, as Francesco calls it, is 1,500 square-feet of haunted horrors, with 10 rooms, live actors, lights, props, fog machines and music.
"We've got the whole nine yards," Francesco said. "It's a little eerie. Definitely there's a lot of anticipation as to what's going to be around the corner."
There are rooms, dark hallways, a torture chamber, a butcher shop and frights coming from the least expected places. An estimated 150 hours of labour went into the display.
"It's a little different this year. We always try to add some new things," Francesco said. "This is the best year yet, and we have a little surprise for the public in the last room of this year's haunted house."
The suggested age of entry is 12 or 13 years, but Francesco said he leaves it up to the parents' discretion. The actors can also tone the fear factor down if there are small children who want to go through the display, he explained.
"We want everyone to have that experience and enjoy it and not terrify children," he said.
The Quartos' annual display started eight years ago, with Francesco's love of horror as an inspiration, and three years ago, the family started collecting donations to B.C. Children's Hospital. In 2013, they collected more than $1,000 for the hospital, and this year, the goal is $2,000. (At press time, the family had raised more than $500 online.)
The Quarto family home is at 4260 Dundas St. The display is open on Oct. 30, from 6 to 10 p.m., and on Friday, Oct. 31 (Halloween) from 6 p.m. till late, depending on attendance. There is candy for trick-or-treaters at the front of the house, and there will also be hot chocolate available.
For more information or to make a donation, go to dundasnightmare.com.
"We're really trying to encourage people to even put in a dollar towards this good cause," Francesco said.
