Kentville’s Dead End Motel opens in October

There’s a story behind the No Vacancy sign at the Dead End Motel.

“There is no turning back,” warns Susan Escott.

The motel is the latest haunted house designed by The Creep Crew, a small group of volunteers who started hosting freaky fundraisers in 2014 to raise money for local causes in need of financial support.

“It’s fun, and you raise funds for needy causes,” said Escott. “The community benefits.” The Creep Crew started working on the Dead End Motel in the spring to plot out a haunt that is sure to send shivers down the spines of those who dare to come looking for a room key.

“We were trying to make it more interactive, meaning that it’s a walk through as opposed to a walk by,” said Escott. “I think oftentimes with haunted houses you walk by scenes and they’re scary, but when you’re actually walking through and part of the event, it changes the fear factor.”

The haunt returns to the basement of the Kentville Post Office at 495 Main St. for a second year, starting the first Friday night in October.

“The basement of anything adds to the creep factor. There’s one way in and one way out,” said Escott, noting that Parsons Investments makes the space available for their use.

The Creep Crew saw more than 1,500 “patients” at the Infirmary of Lost Souls haunted house last October, raising $18,000 for the Open Arms Resource Centre and Misfit Manor Dog Rescue. The same organizations will benefit from the proceeds raised this year.

The Dead End Motel haunt will run every Friday and Saturday in October from 7-9 p.m. The cost is $10 per adult and $5 per child under 12.

“You’ll never see another motel like this,” said Escott.