Families looking for a good fright on Halloween night should not miss the spectacular display in North Burnaby.
Every year, Francesco Quarto and his father, Tony, put on an extravagant display at the family home that attracts hundreds of spectators.
The annual tradition started with a display in front sof the house, but Francesco has also created a haunted house in the back.
This year’s display includes a myriad of horrid attractions, from severed heads, to devilish characters, and ghouls that come alive around every dark corner.
“Its frightening, exciting and very eventful,” Francesco said. “We’re all excited. It’s the one night we’ve all been waiting for. That’s the one night we have to put on a show. It’s a frightening experience, but it’s good.”
The more family-friendly display at the front of the home features two tombstones that were used on a movie set, and Francesco describes them as heavy duty and realistic. There’s also a 12-foot scarecrow with eyes that light up.
Behind the home, the Quartos have created the haunted house as a fully enclosed, covered structure, so the show can go on, rain or shine. The wood-framed haunted house measures roughly 1,200 square feet, and the walls are covered in black paper.
The space is filled with gory, horror-inspired props, a torture chamber, a prison, and a room with a Friday the 13th theme. The Quartos also have a crew of roughly eight or nine actors, who help animate the display, but there’s no touching of the spectators, so you won’t have to worry about some devilish character grabbing your ankles in the dark.
Francesco recommends kids be at least 12 to 13 years old to go through the haunted house display at the back of the home.
“We want people to have fun, but we don’t want to terrify a child for the rest of their life,” he said.
The Quartos have been running the display for about seven years, and for the past three, they’ve added a charitable twist.
“I said, ‘You know, while we are having fun, why don’t we raise money for a good cause?’” Francesco said.
While admission is free, the family is collecting donations for the B.C. Children’s Hospital. Last year alone, the Quartos raised $700 with their Halloween display, and the year before that, they raised $500. The family also tries to introduce new things each year, so if you’ve been to the house before, it’s a new display this season.
This year, the family put in an estimated 40 to 50 hours, over the course of four weeks, to create the display. The Quartos have about a dozen family members and friends who contribute to the efforts.
The Quartos’ display is at 4260 Dundas St. and will be open for Halloween night only, on Thursday, Oct. 31, starting at 6 p.m. For more information, check out the Quartos’ Facebook page by searching “Quarto Haunted House” on Facebook.com.
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