Popular neighborhood haunt is bigger and scarier than ever
by Elise Lusk | Contributing Writer
Years before West Ashley residents Michael and Karen LaMar ever dreamed of opening a haunted house, they were the family that was famous for their over-the-top Halloween decorations. Every October, their neighbors and friends would flock to the front lawn of their home to witness whatever spooky spectacle they’d dreamed up that year.
“Over the course of several years, numerous neighbors and friends suggested that we do a haunted house,” says Michael. “And with my family’s love of horror, and the knowledge we had obtained from attending Halloween horror nights in Orlando for the previous 10 years, we decided to give it a shot.”
The West Ashley couple officially opened West Ashley Screams last fall in their neighborhood of Village Green, located off of Ashley River Road. The opening went better than they ever could’ve predicted. However, this year they plan to make the event even bigger and scarier than last year’s debut. Instead of four houses, there will be six, each with a different theme.
“We learned a lot from our first year and even though it was so much bigger than we ever imagined, including having 850 people come through in only three nights and having a live, remote broadcast from the local news,” Michael says. “There were still many things that we could improve on. I believe this year is going to be amazing, and I’m super excited to share with people what we have all worked so hard to bring them. We promise to make you scream!”
Not only do you know you’re guaranteed a good scare when you attend West Ashley Screams, but you’re also supporting an important cause. The haunt itself is free but attendees are welcome to donate if they so desire. The LaMars donate a portion of those proceeds to the Barrier Island Free Medical Clinic (BIFMC), a local clinic offering free medical care to uninsured patients. The LaMars learned of the clinic through a friend who volunteers as a nurse and last year were able to donate $500.
“[BIFMC] allow people to come in and receive medical care at no cost,” says Michael. “My wife and I both felt it was an amazing thing to provide for people and definitely wanted to help out.”
The LaMars take most of their spooky inspiration from television and film. Over the last couple of months they’ve been unveiling the stories that will inspire each haunted house on their various social media accounts. A few of these titles include: Stranger Things, Contagion, The Strangers, and Saw.
“I sit down with my family and we talk about what horror movies would be the easiest to bring to life,” Michael says when asked where he finds ideas for the houses. “We talk about what type of environment, what type of props, and what type of costuming we are looking for. We all agree on which ones we feel we can bring our customers into and make them feel like they are part of that movie.”
The focus for the LaMar family has always been on community and family. They rely on their “village” to help build and prepare the sets, find costuming, and perform in the haunted house. This year, however, the LaMars accepted auditions for more scare actors.
“This year because we expanded and have the need for more of them, we have some new people. They are mostly people who have a love of horror and a love for all things scary,” says Michael. “We allow them to tell us why they would be good scare actors and ask them to send us an audition video. We also do some personal reference checks.
West Ashley Screams will be open for three nights only on Saturday, Oct. 26,
Sunday, Oct. 27, and Halloween night, Thursday, Oct. 31. For more information about the neighborhood haunt by searching for West Ashley Screams on Facebook, @westashleyscreams on Instagram, and TikTok.
