You’ve heard of the haunted house or the haunted castle?
Silver Gate Elementary’s dads have been improving on something for 13 years that’s even more diabolical: the mysterious haunted hallway.
The brainchild of Silver Gate parent Bob Sherman, the school’s haunted parts include not only a hallway but several classrooms as well, all decked out with the latest and freakiest over-the-top special effects.
The Haunted Hallway is part of the annual Harvest Festival at Silver Gate 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21.
“It is a huge, elaborate production that is set up over five days,” said Sherman of the eerie event he created when his daughter, in college today, was in kindergarten. “Our event is what inspired the parents over at Loma Portal Elementary.”
Loma Portal also converts part of its campus for Halloween and trick or treating, thanks every year to dads donating their time and expertise.
“There are several dads who no longer have kids at Silver Gate that come back every year to help,” said Sherman. “We all want to see this tradition continue.”
Sherman is also known for his Polar Express floats that for years were a mainstay in the annual Ocean Beach Christmas Parade.
Sherman noted that Silver Gate dads Jim Miller and Kurt Finley have helped him for the last four years to bring the Hallway to life — or death — depending on your perspective.
How do you haunt a hallway — or a classroom?
“We don’t do anything store bought or commercial from a Halloween store,” answered Sherman noting, 13 years ago, that he created some of the scary set work himself at home.
“It’s all unique stuff,” said Sherman noting there’s as much “Disney” as “Frankenstein’s lab” in sets created and improved upon annually for the Mysterious Haunted Hallway.
Sherman said 10 different scenes are created in hallways and classrooms, everything from spiders and webs, to graveyards with tombstones and lots and lots of special effects, including several frightening sound tracks with all the attendant bumps, rattles and screams.
It’s all hyper real.
“In the graveyard, we bring in real dead trees and have real leaves with fog and sound effects,” Sherman said adding one of the big challenges is always to make things scary enough to be entertaining, while not too scary for the especially young or faint of heart.
The end result though is that everybody thoroughly enjoys themselves.
“People usually are laughing when they come out,” he said. “And some kids go back in and out like six times.”
What does Sherman get out of it?
Even he’s not quite certain.
“I was doing this in 2007 when my daughter was here, and nine years later … I’m still doing it,” Sherman said adding his business is a bit slower in October and that he continues to enjoy being a “master of mystery,” articulating the craft of creating faux haunted effects and passing that along to others.
“For me it’s a nice way to stay involved, and a nice way to do something for the community,” Sherman concluded. Harvest Festival What: Silver Gate Elementary Harvest Festival and Haunted Hallway is free.
Where: 1499 Venice St.
When: 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 21. Tickets are required to go through the mysterious haunted hallway.
Info: email [email protected].