ONCE constrained by the walls of Rosedale’s Haunted House, ghouls, ghosts, witches and zombies will be free to roam the town’s streets this Halloween.
The infamous haunted house is no more, with ‘Beetlejuice’ and founder David Kupisiewicz in the process of moving home to the United States.
Instead the small town, which has come to embrace the American holiday over the past five or so years, has organised a community Halloween night.
On 31 October Rosedale streets and businesses will be decked out in cobwebs, pumpkins and skeletons, while children will don costumes and trick or treat the neighbourhood.
Shops will also be open late for dinner.
It will be quite the change from last year’s festivities in Mr Kupisiewicz’s backyard shed, where thousands of people queued for up to three hours to tour the haunted house, complete with live actors.
Mr Kupisiewicz said he could not be happier to see Halloween festivities continue.
“Our house is on the market now and I didn’t want to disappoint everyone with no haunted house so I made the suggestion of a wider-community based celebration,” he said.
“In a way it’s a good thing because Halloween had really become about the haunted house, but that’s not what Halloween is about. It’s about dressing up and having fun.”
Ghastly creatures are expected to walk the streets from about 5pm, but Mr Kupisiewicz said the real horrors would arise once the sun set.
“After 8.30pm or so it might get kind of scary… I hear there might be a zombie invasion,” he said.
However, he promised plenty of family-friendly displays in the early evening.
“There will be something for everyone, something for families to look at. It will still be a holiday for everyone to enjoy,” Mr Kupisiewicz said.
“We can’t do the haunted house but it (Halloween) has taken a life of its own… its going to be more like a true Halloween I think.”
Everyone is welcome to visit Rosedale on Halloween night, 31 October, to take part in the ‘Halloween Town’.
Search ‘Rosedale Halloween Town’ on Facebook to find out how you can get involved.
DAVID Kupisiewicz made a lasting impression in Rosedale during his relatively short stint in the tight community.
The Southern Californian is responsible for bringing Halloween to the town, and for the establishment of the now-ceased haunted house.
Mr Kupisiewicz originally built the spooky setup in the garage for his homesick children to celebrate the holiday with school friends.
But it quickly grew in popularity.
In 2015, more than 2500 Halloween enthusiasts passed through the haunted house’s doors. Mr Kupisiewicz said he had never imagined Halloween would take off in Rosedale like it did.
“I think it’s great the community has embraced the haunted house but it was never really my goal,” Mr Kupisiewicz said.
“The first year was just a party for my kids and then it kind of grew and deflected from what Halloween was really about.”
The Kupisiewicz family are set to return to the United States, with their house currently on the market.
Mr Kupisiewicz said he was excited to see the tradition continue in the town in his absence.
“I’m just happy all these people have this cool holiday to celebrate,” he said.
