The Downs have an impressive array of frights designed to send a shiver up your spine
Lauren Monica| The Herald-Advocate
MARLBORO COUNTY — Transplants from Georgia, the Downs family delight in giving their neighbors thrills and chills. Last year, the Downs contented themselves with terrifying those fortunate enough to drive by and see their elaborate scenes of Halloween terror stretching across their front lawn. This year, the family is trying a new venture, a haunted house at their house on East Tatum Avenue in McColl. For the last few weeks, the Downs have poured their heart, soul, and every spare moment into turning the outside of their home into Downs’ Manor.
“Last year we had people pull over just so they could stop and take it all in,” laughs Steven Downs. He says he hopes to have everything up and running by October 4. By up and running, he means finishing building haunting displays, sewing costumes, setting up lights, chains, spiders, and fog.
“I stay away from clowns and chainsaws because everyone does clowns and chainsaws. I don’t do gore, but I promise you will leave scared,” assures Steven.
Though it is looking more like an October 4 start date, the Down’s are hopeful they will be able to have a trial run around mid-September to help folks get in the Halloween spirit. They are currently hard at work building displays. The venture is truly a family affair as Steven, Julie, and their son Aiden all get in on the act. All three have different characters they become during the Halloween season and are very dedicated to their roles.
“We never break character. I only had to once when a little girl got too scared,” says Steven’s wife Julie, a local elementary school teacher. “Then, I stopped, pulled off my mask, and let her know it was just me,” she explained.
Fairly new to McColl, but not to terrifying strangers, the Downs previously set up their scares in schools back in Georgia. “The money raised went towards buying students new headphones. We spend a lot of time and money putting this together, so it means a lot to us to see it all go to good use,” said Steven, who says they have spent upwards of $1,000 on their frightening collection.
The couple hand make a lot of their scares out of items found anywhere from the Dollar Tree to the local Goodwill. “I try to repurpose whatever I can,” says Julie, showing off her assemblage of pool noodles, PVC piping, wire hangers, and fabrics. A former theater kid, Julie says she puts her money into using good makeup. “Those masks get too hot after awhile and I don’t want the makeup to be wiping off.”
Aiden joins in the scares and helps his dad build the family’s backyard maze of haunts. That’s right, this year the Downs are taking it to the backyard where they have already put together an impressive display.
Over the years the family has stockpiled scary items that include shrunken heads, all types of spooky masks, bats, jumping spiders, animatronics, and even a Voodoo doll straight from Madame Laveau’s place in Louisianna. Laveau is well known in Louisianna lore as a Creole practitioner of Voodoo, as well as an herbalist and midwife. Her daughter, Marie Laveau II was also celebrated for her alleged abilities to practice rootwork and conjure the dearly departed.
For the bargain price of $5 a tour, eager haunted house goers can anticipate lots of hidden scares as they make their way through Downs’ Manor, which will start on the family’s large wraparound front porch and finish in the back yard where guests will be greeted with even more spooky thrills. Julie says they keep everything professional and shy away from using any scary music that might contain foul language.
“We plan to start around dusk and probably finish around 9 p.m. I think it will probably take somewhere between 8-15 minutes to walk through. It could end up being longer, I won’t know until we are a little further along,” said Steven.
The family is still looking for volunteers.
“It is all about finding your inner boo. Once you get that first scare it becomes addictive,” says Steven, who adds that he enjoys the thrill of knowing he has truly scared someone. “You got to find something that excites you and gives you that adrenaline rush. I was miserable during Covid with no one to scare.”
The Downs say they have wanted to do a haunted house for years, but Georgia required building permits for everything. Steven says they asked about building sets in their backyard before they decided to buy their new home in McColl and that he has even reached out to the mayor for his blessing.
Anyone interested in volunteering to scare the living daylights out of family and friends can text Steven at (770) 666-2411.