ESCONDIDO (KGTV) — It's spooky season, and one North County tradition is coming to an end. The Escondido Madhouse has been in the community for almost three decades, and owners say it's finally time to say goodbye.
The haunted house, which this year drew nearly 1,300 visitors, will close for good on Oct. 31 — Halloween night.
Kelly DeSorbo has run the Escondido Madhouse out of her own home for the past 27 years. It's a family project built with and for the community.
"First year, very, very small, just a little thrill for the kids to go through and get excited about," DeSorbo said. "And this last year with nearly 1,300 people and so respectful, so nice, and just loving every minute of it."
The path of the Madhouse takes you through rooms and hallways filled with clowns, scary pumpkins and haunted monkeys, too. It features a cast of characters familiar to horror fans.
"We have so many characters. We have Michael Myers, Hellraiser, Hannibal Lecter," DeSorbo said.
As Kelly showed me through the Madhouse — even without her friends and family scare actors in place — there was still a fright around every corner.
DeSorbo said it takes her family three months to transform their home.
"You'll see that we don't leave a corner undone. It's all about the imagery and just everything that it's gonna bring to everybody. So it's, I think that's why it takes three months. If we just slapped it together, it would be done in no time," DeSorbo said.
After 27 years, DeSorbo said the decorating and hosting has been a lot of hard work, and she's ready to rest. She said the real reward has been bringing the community together — through scares and smiles.
"I'm just gonna miss what it brings to the community because so many people love it and that's really what keeps ... keeps me going, and I think that's what keeps all of us going. I think that's what I'm gonna miss," DeSorbo said.
The final haunt on Halloween will be free to attend.
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