Meet the Halloween hero behind South Park’s beloved Horror House

When Josh Schauert moved to South Park seven years ago, he expected Halloween trick-or-treaters galore. Instead, two showed up and they were neighbors. 

That disappointment sparked what has become one of San Diego County’s most elaborate free haunted attractions, South Park Horror House, drawing up to 800 visitors per night. 

“Halloween has always been big to me, so I took it as a challenge to attract more trick-or-treaters,” Schauert said. “Growing up in South Lake Tahoe, there were certain areas where people went all out. I’ve always treasured those memories.” 

Schauert’s mother, an avid horror fan and decorator, nurtured his imagination from an early age. His favorite Halloween costume was a character from the 1980s film “The Purple People Eater,” a furry alien from space. 

“My mom made the costume from scratch,” he said. “It was very impressive with purple tendrils and seashells glued to it.”

The costume took his mother a month to complete and young Schauert proudly wore it to visit the elaborate haunted houses around town. Now, he’s become the person creating those core memories for others — a full-circle moment his Louisiana-based mother celebrates from afar through videos and photos. 

For Schauert, the horror genre offers something essential.

“Horror is so cool because it takes you out of the mundane every day,” Schauert said. “It’s nice to have a little bit of wonder.”

This year’s attraction, “Graveyard of Nightmares,” opens Friday at Schauert’s home and runs every weekend through Halloween. Schauert wanted to create this theme for four years, but limited options prevented it until now.

The Horror House has evolved since its COVID-era debut in 2020. What started as a socially distanced outdoor experience for neighborhood kids has grown into a Hollywood-caliber production featuring custom-built props, programmed lighting effects, fog machines and animatronics. Schauert, who has a computer science background, creates many elements himself, including programming Raspberry Pi computers to trigger startle effects. 

“I have this belief that I can figure anything out if someone else can do it,” he said. 

Schauert’s financial model is equally creative. Four years ago, facing mounting storage costs and a hodgepodge collection of mismatched decorations, Schauert began selling everything after each season. 

“I’ll take that money and I’ll put it in a savings account for a year and that will be my budget for next year,” he said. 

This strategy allows him to start fresh annually with new themes while keeping the attraction free. Donations help cover operational costs, which can add up. The nightly expense for a single fog machine averages $100. 

Running parallel to the haunted house is the Spirit Box Scavenger Hunt. Starting Oct. 1, Schauert hides boxes around South Park every other day, posting clues on social media until someone finds them. Neighborhood businesses sponsor the boxes, donating prizes ranging from restaurant gift cards to a haunted basket from Dark Horse Coffee Roasters and a spider ring with a hidden compartment from a local jeweler. 

“I get up about four in the morning and I’ll go hide it somewhere somewhere in the neighborhood,” Schauert said. 

The month culminates with a free backyard concert on the last Saturday before Halloween, a tradition born from Schauert’s original plan to open a music venue when he first moved to San Diego. Running from 3-7 p.m., the event includes live music, games and a costume contest. 

Visitors to the Horror House travel from across the region and the pond. His neighbor from France specifically timed his family’s visit last year to coincide with Halloween.

“All of them said this is so cool and we don’t do this in France,” Schauert said.

Despite the scary theme, the house has become a force for positivity. 

“It has brought together so many different people, so many different businesses,” Schauert said. “There are more laughs than screams.”

For anxious or young visitors, Schauert and his team of volunteers (mostly friends and neighbors) adjust the scares by dialing back the hand-controlled startle effects. To ease children’s fears, they hand out glow sticks, telling them the lights will protect them from monsters. 

The entire experience takes place outside, partly by design to keep visitors safe, but also to protect Schauert’s two cats and dog from the chaos. Remarkably, the hundreds of weekly visitors don’t faze his pets. 

“They’re all very easygoing animals,” he said. “You’d be surprised how little it affects them.” 

Accessibility is central to Schauert’s vision, which is why admission remains steadfastly free of charge. 

“Life is already expensive enough. We live in California and in San Diego. I don’t want it to be a paywall,” Schauert said. “I don’t do it for the money.”

Beyond running the haunted house, Schauert owns Integrity Pro Washers, a pressure washing and solar cleaning panel business. The haunted house experience helped inspire that entrepreneurial leap. 

As for what he wants people to take away from the experience, Schauert emphasized joy.

“Use your imagination. You can go into something that might not really be your cup of tea and still enjoy it,” Schauert said. “Life is already serious enough, let’s enjoy some things.” 

The South Park Horror House opens Oct. 3 at 2962 Laurel St. and runs every Friday and Saturday in October from 7-9 p.m. and every night Halloween week. For scavenger hunt updates and clues, follow the haunted house on Instagram.