Everhaunt ups the horrors with multiple haunted houses, while helping the community
Nestled in the tiny Village of Angola, in a former roller skating rink that had opened during the disco era, is a place for experiencing Halloween-themed thrills and temporary terrors.
Drive down the village’s Lake Street and see homes, small businesses – and Everhaunt Haunted House.
Kevin Donovan, the proprietor, creative force and man behind the curtain of this seasonal attraction, opened Everhaunt in April of 2019. The décor, themes and cast of “scareactors” has earned it an impressive array of local and national awards in Halloween and indoor cultural attractions categories.
“I’ve always really liked horror stuff, and growing up even at 3 or 4, I would sneak into my parents’ room and watch the TV series ‘Tales from the Crypt’ and keep my finger on the little button so that, if one of them came into the room, I’d switch the channel quickly so they wouldn’t catch me.”
About 10 years ago, Donovan began hosting Halloween parties in the Angola house he grew up. The house parties “grew and grew and grew.”
“The next thing I knew we had friends from seven states, and 300 people at the parties,” Donovan said. “There was always a charitable undertone to the parties and at one of the early parties we raised money for a friend who was fighting cancer.”
Everhaunt founder Kevin Donovan scours the country looking for items and decor to set the scene for the various locations throughout the "Delaware Creek Estates."
Within the spooked-up walls of Everhaunt, Donovan combines his three passions: the horror genre, Halloween and charitable acts. Everhaunt is equal parts scaring and caring at Halloween time.
Since its opening, Everhaunt has raised money for several local organizations; a book drive for Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, canned good drives for South Buffalo Food Pantry, and proceeds going to FeedMore WNY, Kids Escaping Drugs and others. Organizations wishing to partner with Everhaunt, Donovan said, can reach out via its website where there is a link under “Charitable Efforts.”
Meet Seth Gilliam of "The Walking Dead" on Oct. 29-31 at Everhaunt Haunted House in Angola.
Family Fall Festival days include a petting zoo and food trucks: This year $1 of every $8 goes to Kids Escaping Drugs. The business has pivoted before, transforming into a place to celebrate Christmas and the holiday season, shedding scariness for snowflakes and Santa.
“This haunt has always been about making a great Halloween experience for our customers, and charitable acts. There are many other haunted houses but it was never about being just a haunted house here. We have horror celebrities come during October, we have activities for kids, we have midway games, escape rooms and coffin rides.”
Everhaunt is set on the “Delaware Creek Estates” where guests will have multiple haunted house experiences plus the “Escape from Frankenstein” VR experience, and “Escape from Holland Road” five-minute escape game with the Pigman.
In the "Escape from Holland Road" game, visitors will have to stay clear of the Pigman.
New this year: “The Earthquake: Thrill Experience,” and the Chambers.
Donovan becomes animated when talking about the process of making Everhaunt into a great scare experience. He details the various tableaux throughout the building, the training to make great scareactors, and the attention to detail of the décor.
“It’s over the top in terms of set design, when you enter you feel like you’re in a different world. Our lobby is an old town with different buildings – an asylum, an apothecary, a sheriff’s office, a library and more. We have huge animations and one in front of the apothecary with the character telling a backstory: It’s an immersive environment.”
One of the most important things is making visitors believe what they are seeing.
“We need to make it believable when you come here, we want you to think ‘I am not in an old roller rink,’ ” Donovan said. “We acquire décor pieces and then we make them look even more aged. When you walk into our Delaware Creek Estates we want you to believe that you’re in an old farmhouse from the 1900s, there might be seven or eight layers of paint on walls to get to the level where it looks believable. Before it opened, I traveled to 25 different states and traveled 150,000 miles to find the items in here.”
Donovan said that unlike other haunted houses, the Everhaunt experience – it takes about 45 – has timed tickets to keep groups from overlapping and enhancing the scare factor. When asked how fear-inducing Everhaunt is, Donovan said it’s subjective.
“People have different levels of fear. Over the years there have been maybe 100 people who haven’t been able to get past the first room,” he said. “When we see a customer is not having a good time, or is starting to cry, our characters are trained to break character to take someone out. We don’t want to be the source of someone’s traumatic experience.”
Everhaunt features a large cast of "scareactors" who portray the various characters you meet along the way.
All of the Everhaunt characters, Donovan said, are wonderful creations. “Our actors are incredible, many of them have been with us since 2019. Along the way other people have jumped in. Our characters are original, you’re not going to see some character that you’ve seen before, they’re all well-developed and have backstories. The actors who play their characters love what they do, they are the stars of the show.”
Does Donovan ever get his hands dirty/bloody during the Halloween season? “There are nights, when I have to jump into costume if we are short on staff that night,” he said. “Last year 50% of the time you could find me in the asylum and I love that, I love being right in there with the team but I do like to talk to every Everhaunt guest.”
One of the most popular characters is Doc Roseywood, who might be described as looking like a steampunk Einstein. He even made an appearance at the Eden Corn Festival.
“He’s fun, and the kids love him – he’s like our Mickey Mouse, well-known and the one we want kids to grow up with.”
The appearances by horror superstars also is part of the Everhaunt calendar, with meet and greets, autograph sessions and photo ops.
“People who like baseball go to a Bisons game. People who love hockey go to a Sabres game,” Donovan said. “People who like Halloween want to go to a haunted house.”
PREVIEW
144 Lake St., Angola.
Open from 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 14, 21, 28 and 30; 6 to 10 p.m. Oct. 15, 22 and 29; and 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 16, 23 and 31. Plus a “Black Out Experience,” Nov. 5. Reserved timed tickets via the website, where there are numerous tickets and package options with add-ons to pile on the horrors.
Family Fall Festivals
A “lights on” haunted house walk-through, plus costume contest, pumpkins and face painting from noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 15, 22 and 29.
Celebrity appearances
Paul T. Taylor of “Hellraiser: Judgment” and “Sin City,” Oct. 14-15.
Michael Alcott of “The Devil’s Rejects,” Oct. 21-22.
Seth Gilliam of “The Walking Dead,” Oct. 30-31.
Source: The Buffalo News Gusto
