We are Jody and Mandee Schoolcraft, and we have been doing home haunts in Orange County, CA since 2005, when it was just the two of us scaring trick-or-treaters in our little Irvine neighborhood with very little in the way of special effects and decorations. We’ve grown from that little walkway to a large 4 section, 3 minute walk-through maze as we’ve moved from Irvine, to Rancho Santa Margarita, then Aliso Viejo, and now, finally, in Mission Viejo. Our two sons, Tim (13) and Matt (12), help us with our haunt from setting up, to scaring, to tearing down and putting it all away. It’s a family affair that we all enjoy doing together every year. You’ll come across both boys as you walk through the haunt, as they are both professional Schoolcraft Scare Squad Staff who work inside the maze, doing their best to scare your socks off! They have been in the maze scaring since they were 6 & 7 years old (by choice!) and have perfected the art of terrorizing our visitors. Jody is right in there with them, lurking around corners, popping up where you least expect him. Mandee runs the entrance of the maze, corralling the crowd and making sure everyone is ready for a good time. We have many helpers who volunteer every year to set up the maze, scare and run the line, and tear down. We are very grateful to our friends for all they do to help us pull this off year after year.
We have learned a lot over the years by attending events like Scare LA, Midsummer Scream, Disneyland’s Halloween Time, Knott’s Scary Farm, and Universal Halloween Horror Nights, researching the best ways to scare, learn the latest in lighting and special effects, how to use technology to enhance the visitors experience, and to study what works and doesn’t work in making sure every guest that goes through our maze has a great experience.
Every year, our hope is to bring small pieces from each event back to our community so that those who aren’t able to attend the theme park haunts can come through our maze and get their money’s worth (which is easy, since it’s free!). We want you to have fun on Halloween night and make memories doing so without the fear of paying too much for something that isn’t worth it in the end. We even have a non-scare walk-through option for those who aren’t quite ready to be terrified. We firmly believe that everyone should get to see all of the special effects and decor, even if they are not too fond on being scared. We’ve had toddlers and preschoolers walk through the maze every year, getting to explore with their parents, making memories that would not normally be available to them because of their age. Our maze is about our community and we’d love to have you stop by on Halloween night to make memories with us.
Our Haunt is always free and is on 10/31.