Brinkworth Dungeon at 22260 48th Ave. in Murrayville is back again, to entertain, scare, and collect food for charity this Halloween.
Boris the giant spider is back. So is Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, the Mummy, and the Frankenstein’s monster, just a few of the many attractions on view at the annual Halloween display, put on by Barry and Tammy Brinkworth, which is now in its 22nd year.
For Barry, 59, its more like a 50th anniversary, “because my very first haunted house was for my ninth birthday, so it’s actually the 50th anniversary.”
He went to become a professional model maker, who on the side creates what he call “hand-crafted” horror displays for fun and charity.
On Sunday, he was showing some of the new attractions, including an animatronic tribute to the Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean show, with two skeletal pirates trying to get help from a dog holding the keys to their cell in its teeth.
At one point, Barry stopped to adjust a wall that had been knocked out of alignment by a visitor who jumped back when they were confronted by one of the “scare actors” dressed up as a serial killer.
The dungeon has two degrees of intensity, one being the less scary “creepy tours” running 7 to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, with no scare actors leaping out of dark corners.
Fridays and Saturdays from 8 to 11 p.m., monsters come to life.
“All bets are off,” is how Barry puts it. “We have lots of hired scare actors now, [it’s like] you’re in your own horror movie.”
As always, visitors are asked to bring non-perishable food items for the Salvation Army Gateway of Hope shelter.
After a busy first week, the Brinkworth Dungeon has collected what Barry described as an “extreme amount of food.”
“People are so kind,” he remarked.
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The Murrayville display currently covers more than 5,000 sq. ft, with more expansion planned, despite an uncertain future.
For the last few years, the dungeon, attached to the Brinkworth’s house, has been under imminent threat of demolition by the property owners, who intend to build a housing project on the site. But so far, don’t seem in any hurry.
“We never know for sure, you know,” Barry told the Langley Advance Times.
“They’re very open with us, the developers, that they’re going to put something here, but we don’t know for sure when its going to happen, so we just cross our fingers.”
Open till Oct. 31, admission is $16 for those 14 and older, $7 for ages six to 12, and five and younger get in free. All kids must be accompanied by an adult.
More images of the dungeon can be viewed online at the Langley Advance Times Facebook page.
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Have a story tip? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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