Prepare to be scared, big time

For much of the year, William “Jay” Horsky Jr.’s Huntington Beach house looks pretty normal.

But when Halloween comes, the property on Sailfish Drive turns into a horror zone.

For the past three years, Horsky, who has owned the home since 1985, has transformed its frontyard into Hauntington Beach Manor by bringing in a 4,000-square-foot, multiple-room wood shack that he fills with scare actors and horrific props.

Though a neighborhood event, it is not recommended for children.

“I’ve always loved Halloween,” he said, noting that his company, Professional Plumbing Inc., invested about $30,000 in the project this year.

Two years before he began erecting the manor, he started out with a small graveyard. The smaller endeavor cost about $2,000.

“My grandkids convinced me to go bigger,” Horsky said.

“The reaction we got last year and the year before was so positive and so good. When you’re making things for other people to enjoy, I think that’s what makes life worth being there. Once we started seeing the reactions, we knew we had to go all in.”

The planning began last November. The structure was built in a warehouse from January to August and then transported in pieces last month to Horsky’s frontyard, where it was reassembled.

He said that because of the temporary nature of the structure, he does not need a permit from the city to build or operate it.

Despite Horsky’s investment in the maze, he said he wasn’t looking to make money off of it. Admission into the haunt is one can of food, for people or pets, per person. The cans are then donated to Second Harvest Food Bank and the Orange County Humane Society.

Hauntington Beach Manor, which opened Oct. 2 and invites visitors for a few hours Friday and Saturday nights through Halloween, is unlike the typical neighborhood haunt experience, with cheesy scares and cheap props.

Frights wait around every corner, from homemade yet professional-looking animatronics to things of a more freakish nature, like Horsky’s handmade skin quilt.

Horsky rounded up more than half a dozen friends and molded their naked bodies, including someone’s chest hair, to create and stitch together the gruesome decoration.

“It’s totally like Jeffrey Dahmer,” he said of the quilt, referring to the serial killer. “You can buy the human quilts that look terrible and spend a few hundred dollars on them, or you could spend a lot of time and effort to make your own. It looks cool and different from anything else out there.”

He said he enjoys scaring the wits out of the people who go through his maze.

He said one of his favorite memories was frightening a woman who came with a group of her friends.

“I don’t think she got higher than three feet off the floor ever throughout the maze,” he said. “She was crouched down, eyes closed, hanging onto her friend, just screaming the entire time. Every time she walked by a big scare, she screamed even more.”

Horsky said his maze is never complete. Every week, he has been adding new attractions so it’s never the same. Therefore, guests can visit multiple times in a season and see something fresh every time.

Liz Barton, Horsky’s sister, plays a live doll in the maze. She said Halloween has always been a big deal for her family.

“We’ve had Halloween parties for years and years,” she said. “I’ve always handmade all our costumes, and it was just kind of natural for me to go into the acting part of it and put all that in Jay’s haunt to make it better.

“It’s getting to where people look forward to it and kind of expect it. It’s getting to where they’re just excited and the neighborhood loves watching it grow.”

Dave Doster, who has lived on Sailfish Drive for 29 years, would agree. He said the close-knit neighborhood appreciates Horsky’s efforts to celebrate the spirit of the holiday.

“There are a lot of neighbors who are actors in it,” Doster said.

He said the hundreds of visitors to the street each weekend is not an issue.

“So what if there’s a little bit of traffic? It’s a blast to go through,” Doster added.

The haunt has something for everybody. No one, from those who are afraid of ghosts to those who hate gore, is safe.

“We want to hit everybody’s phobias,” Horsky said. “We want to make sure they’re safe but also uncomfortable. I really enjoy the people coming out and enjoying what we’ve built.

“Of course, I also like to scare people, but it’s mostly to see that other people like what I’ve done.”

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IF YOU GO

What: Hauntington Beach Manor

Where: 9631 Sailfish Drive, Huntington Beach

When: from dusk to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 31

Cost: Donation of one can of food for pets or people

Information: Instagram @HauntingtonBeach