A fright in Frenchman's Cove: Skona House draws hundreds of Halloween thrill seekers

For the past five years Skona House has been transforming the tiny town of Frenchman's Cove into a haven for hundreds of Halloween thrill seekers.

The popular venue for weddings and other events venue is typically known for its rustic charm and breathtaking view of the Bay of Islands, but its haunted house leaves a lasting eerie impression.

Every year Greg Penney and his partner Lisa Wells — along with a small army of friends, family and volunteers — turn Skona House into a terrifying Halloween experience.

It's something they think about all year long, they said, but the real planning starts a few months before Halloween.

"Usually we try to come up with a theme first. We've done the zombies, we've done the 20th anniversary for Chernobyl, and now we're doing all the horror movies," said Penney.

"This year we started really decorating the house after our last wedding, which was three weeks ago."

It's a massive undertaking that requires full commitment. This year the duo transformed every inch of their property into scenes straight out of horror flicks like The Purge, Jigsaw, It and The Nun. 

The premise for this year's tour follows the story of Michael Myers from the Halloween films. Those brave enough to take the tour are guided through Skona House and the woods outside, all while being stalked by the crazed killer and a supporting cast of psychopaths. 

"It's just amazing how many of these kids, and many of them are in junior high and don't yet need volunteer hours for school … just love it and they come year after year and dedicate themselves to it," said Penney. 

One of those people is Grade 12 student Jacob Vincent. He said he first began volunteering five years ago and has since come into his own as one of Stephen King's most feared characters. 

"Three years ago I was a clown, and then I said, well, the new It movie is coming out, and I decided I wanted to be Pennywise," said Vincent, adding that he watched the movie multiple times to get the character down pat.

It's just awesome scaring people — the adrenalin, the laughs. Afterwards we get together and have a big old talk about all the people we scared.- Jacob Vincent

"Almost everybody's scared of clowns, and I just want that to come to life — like a movie — and just be as scary as possible."

Over the years Vincent estimates he's scared more than a thousand people. He said it comes down to the element of surprise and "just looking crazy."

"It's just awesome scaring people — the adrenalin, the laughs. Afterwards we get together and have a big old talk about all the people we scared," he said.

Wells said it's amazing to see how the event has grown over the past few years, with people travelling from all over the western Newfoundland just to experience the thrill.

"You get diehard Halloween fans who love to go to haunted houses. There's nowhere around that has anything going on like this. Where else can you go that you have 50 people done up in full costume, full makeup, with one intent in mind — just to scare you?" said Wells. 

"We just love Halloween, really. It's so fun to see people's reactions and be around the kids during this time of year."

The search for the ultimate scare isn't in vain. A portion of this year's proceeds will go toward the Janeway Children's Hospital Foundation.

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