'Live actors, animatronics, scary props': North Shore couple's haunted house draws chills for charity

Displays from previous years can be seen in these photos submitted by Christopher Smith.

As many people prepare to welcome trick-or-treaters with Halloween candy, another household has a much more terrifying experience brewing.

North Vancouver resident Christopher Smith and his wife have been transforming their home into a spooky haunted house for the past five years and they're getting ready to do it again.

"There's going to be a very large display out in the front yard with lots of music, lights and special effects," Smith tells CTV News. "Then that's going to lead to a full haunted walkthrough that goes all around up one side of the house, snakes through the backyard and then down the other side of the house."

Smith says he's been slowly adding to his collection of Halloween decorations and that this year will be bigger and better than ever at the couple's new home on 15th Street West between Pemberton and Phillip avenues.

"You will not miss it," he says.

As for what to expect, Smith says there will be "live actors, animatronics (and) scary props," but that he wants to keep some of the mystery alive.

"I don't want to give too much away," he says. "But if people don't like the dentist, they probably won't like this at all."

Smith says the attraction is free but donations to the B.C. SPCA are encouraged either on-site or online.

"Last year we raised about $1,500," he says. "This year, we're shooting for $5,000."

With three dogs and a cat, Smith says he and his wife are huge animal lovers and they're happy to give back to the SPCA.

"We've rescued several dogs and cats," he says. "We don't have children; animals are our thing. We've got such a soft spot for them."

For Smith, putting his passion for all things spooky to good use was a no-brainer in order to help animals in need.

"I just do it for the fun of it," he says. "I don't do it for the money, so when thinking about where we could put the money, the SPCA was our first natural choice."

The haunted house will be open to the public from 7 to 10 p.m. every night from Oct. 28 until Halloween.

And it's a time Smith can really shine.

"I've been doing this ever since I was a kid" he says. "I stopped trick-or-treating at 11 years old and instead started setting up the scares and saving my allowance to get a smoke machine."

Last year, Smith estimates that approximately 1,000 people visited the attraction over two nights.

"On Halloween night, people were lined up around the block for three hours and the line was probably at least 50 to 100 people long at any given time," he says.

Even though the couple moved this year, Smith is still expecting and hoping for a large turnout in the couple's new neighbourhood.

"I hope that we will still get a great response this year. It's just something that we love doing," he says.

"Some people are too scared to go through, but it's all for a good cause and all in good fun and in the spirit of Halloween, which we're trying to keep alive."