City's Famed Haunted House Back for Halloween

What cackles, creeps and peeps from behind a tombstone?

If you can't guess, then visit DC Cemetery haunted house in Old Mountain View, which celebrates 20 years of scaring local residents with handmade props and lighting design.

The brainchild of Brent Ross, the house on the corner of Bush Street and Yosemite Avenue becomes a spectacularly spooky experience for Halloween, and takes at least one month to construct and one week to tear down. Ross, 35, designs the props, effects and "scares," and with the help of friends and family builds the extravagant haunted house.

"It's a labor of love and some insanity," said Ross.

While in the past the DC Cemetery had guests walk through a path in the garden of the haunted house, Ross explained that because of the incredible amount of people who attend–the now closes the street off to vehicular traffic–this year it will be display only. So passersby can get startled just by peering through the fence.

The free event for the community, actually costs nearly $10,000 a year between storage, building costs and electricity alone, according to Ross. However, his efforts paid off when DC Cemetery for Halloween 2007, won $50,000 from FearNet.com's "America's Scariest Home Haunt."

His family has also been very supportive—it's his parent's house they use and his three brothers and friends all lend a hand.

"It's fun and the little kids enjoy it," said James Debenedetti, a friend from Morgan Hill, after he drilled fake fire sconces on the wall. "It's fun building all of this stuff."

From across the street, neighbor Bruce Karney has witnessed the growth of Ross' haunted house and does not mind the noise and people much.

"I think that Brent is really an artist and it's nice that he shares it with the whole town on Halloween," said Karney.

Actually, Karney takes advantage of the event to invite friends with kids over because they like to see the haunted house.

"It's easy to tell where we are," he said. "We just tell them we are across the Halloween House."