Steve and Penny Jones' house on Tulsa Rd. in central Nanaimo is tough to miss, especially this time of year with a massive and immersive Halloween experience setup in their front yeard. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

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‘We get a good kick out of it:’ Nanaimo couple again creating Halloween horrors

Oct 7, 2024 | 5:56 AM

NANAIMO — What started as a pandemic passion project for Steve and Penny Jones has grown into perhaps the scariest house in the city.

The front yard of the couples home, at 2177 Tulsa Rd. in central Nanaimo, has again been transformed featuring towering skeletons and zombies, scary interactive displays and a fully immersive haunted house.

It’s the fourth year the couple have gone several extra miles to spread a few scares for people of all ages during the spooky season.

“We both love Halloween of course, but I don’t see a lot of trick or treating going on anymore, so we really wanted to bring it back,” Penny told NanaimoNewsNOW. “It’s fun to watch everybody. They laugh, they smile, it makes us laugh too and we get a good kick out of it, it’s fun.”

A large skeleton dog is one of several new additions this year, further growing the display. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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Mixing their mutual love of Halloween with some extra time during the pandemic led to the first display in 2020 and it’s grown ever since.

Planning often begins in the early summer and construction gets underway the first week of September.

Steve said he’s spent around 80 hours putting together this year’s experience with everything from hydraulic-powered ghouls, to giant skeletons and a graveyard.

New pieces this year include a large skeleton dog and multiple clown-themed animatronics.

“We buy new pieces but I just scrounge around for materials. A lot of the [front display], I’m working on tearing down the Nanaimo prison so some of these screens and things I’ve managed to find, they were otherwise going to the garbage.”

Metal grates are among a few times Steve Jones was able to salvage from demolition of the old Nanaimo jail. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

The couple, who first met when they were 12 and going to school together, say the display is as much fun for them as it seems to be for visitors of all ages.

Penny said in addition to a lot of families, their 90-year-old neighbour went through the haunted house this past weekend with his daughter.

Other Tulsa Rd. residents also seem to enjoy the reactions.

“Our neighbours across the street…they sit at their window and watch it at night, they literally don’t turn their TV on because they just watch what the kids are doing, it’s just fantastic,” Penny added. “We’ve had daycares, school buses…we do not turn it off the whole month of October, so children who are obviously scared can go through in the daytime but it’s also on at night if you want to see it lit up at nighttime.”

Many of the displays are interactive, featuring step pads or buttons to encourage kids of all ages to have a unique experience. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Steve said neighbours are very supportive of their efforts and will come help or give encouragement as their drive by.

He wants the display to continue growing.

“My vision would be to block up the road, have food trucks here, find a charity and volunteers and bring some companies in…just make it bigger and bigger and bigger.”

As soon as Halloween passes, the pair turn focus to Christmas, converting the haunted house into a stable and replacing skeletons and terrors with sleighs and trees.

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