They take Halloween seriously

STEPHANIE BERTHOLDO/Acorn Newspapers GREEN THEME—Spooky masks are part of the elaborate decorations at David Weber’s home in Agoura Hills. It’s David’s final Halloween show because next year he’is off to college. David Weber of Agoura Hills and his troop of friends have been scaring the beejeebers out neighborhood kids on Halloween ever since they were seventh-graders at A.E. Wright Middle School in Calabasas.

Now 12th-grade students at Agoura High School, David and his pals will open the creaky doors of their haunted house for the last time on Sat., Oct. 31. Next year, Weber and co-conspirators Jason Oppenheim, Logan McAuliffe and Andrew Aldcroft will be cavorting with college coeds on Halloween night.

This year’s Halloween house in the Fountainwood tract of Agoura Hills promises to be a ghastly experience for those who dare to enter.

MEATY—David Weber wrestles a slab of raw flesh in last year’s haunted house. “It’s our last year, and we have the best props and the most space,” David said about converting a three-car garage into a living nightmare for the scores of children who are brave enough to enter his labyrinth.

David and his friends act out grisly scenes for the sole purpose of hearing children scream, some with delight and others with sheer fright. Last year, David’s heart was pulled out of his chest, and the bloody ribs that once belonged to a cow were enough to make some kids gag and others shriek with horror.

One of David’s favorite moments was when an Agoura High basketball player was too scared to enter the house alone.

“We went in with him,” David said.

David’s mother, Agoura Hills Planning Commissioner Illece Buckley Weber, said the boys love to find new ways to scare children each year.

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers WHAT A CUT UP—Calabasas resident Danielle Obradovich, 4, isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty as she carves a pumpkin with her father, Jason Obradovich, at the Oct. 24 Leonis Adobe Halloween Harvest. The event included crafts, games, pumpkins, costume contests and music. “The kids scream, yell and cry and then beg to go through again,” Buckley We b e r said. “It’s quite a community event. Some kids come back yearly and even stop by beforehand to see if we are having it again.”

A mishaponey ear threatened to undo David’s hard work. His sister forgot about the haunted house and made the mistake of opening the garage door on Oct. 30. While some of the scenes were damaged, David worked like a demon to salvage the hideous Halloween sets, and the show went on as planned. Buckley Weber has had to restrain the boys from going too far in their pursuit of the macabre. She said spraying blood on kids is not allowed, but using animal intestines fresh from the meat market is okay. When David was chain-sawed in one scene, the intestines added a bit of realism, she said. Last year Logan built a coffin to hold a cadaver that came alive.

Sometimes, the scenes prove to be too gory for young children. David said some kids last year didn’t make it past the first scene.

Thousand Oaks FRIGHT NIGHT—The residents of 26616 Sunflower Court in Calabasas are planning a scary Halloween display. There will be a creepy walkthrough entrance with lots of terrifying stops along the way. Guests might just see Jigsaw, left, from the “Saw” movie series...if they dare. Buckley Weber said her son’s fascination with Halloween horrors started when he visited a neighbor’s haunted house in elementary school. By seventh grade David was ready to compete for the title of spookiest house in the neighborhood. He may have achieved that goal, said his mother.

On Nov. 1 of each year, David and Buckley Weber wait in line at local Halloween stores to buy props at half price for the following year.

“I probably spend between $100 and $200 on props,” David said of his quest to produce a new and improved haunted house each year. Although David wouldn’t reveal what scare tactics were in store for this year’s fright night, his mother said the scenes and surprises will undoubtedly be the boys’ “biggest and the best” since this is their closing act.

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers PUMPKIN POWER LIFT—Brett Chamberlain, 7, a White Oak Elementary School second-grader, chooses a weighty pumpkin at the Oak Park Community Garden Pumpkin Patch on last Saturday. “Each year has been more amazing than the past,” Buckley Weber said. “Well, this year is the last one. The boys are graduating and going off to college. It is bittersweet.”

David’s experience with his haunted house will serve him well in college. He plans to study film at USC.

“I like special effects and stuff,” he said.

 

The haunted house at 28920 Calabria Drive will be open from dark to around 9 p.m.

 

LITTLE KING— Jared Gunther, 5, of Westlake Village, plays Elvis in the Oct. 25 costume parade at the Westlake Village City Celebration at city hall. The event also included 5K and 10K races, pancake breakfast, vendor and social services booths, bounce houses and Halloween games for the children. IRIS SMOOT Acorn Newspapers