Volunteers are hard at work creating nightmarish fun at the annual Haunted Jail.

By Mary O’KEEFE

Local residents can once again witness the transformation of the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station into a macabre masterpiece with the annual Haunted Jail. And this year, the haunts will be looking back into childhood bedtime stories, turning those “happily ever afters” into nightmares.

“The theme this year is Bed(lam) Time Stories,” said Sgt. Darrin Walker. “This year [visitors] will not only take in the [scares] visually but the sense of smell is added to the experience.”

Escential Resources FX, creators of scents for Disney parks, museums and haunts around the world, is providing the scent effects featured throughout the haunted maze.

“You see a rose, and it looks real. You expect to smell it, so you may not realize that it is an added effect that we put in. We hope to do the same with a burning body,” said Charly Shelton, CVW writer and lead creative designer volunteer for Bed(lam) Time Stories.

The Haunted Jail volunteers, composed of Sheriff’s Department members and members of the community, came up with the theme.

“It was in the meeting for the Haunted Jail that someone suggested fractured fairy tales, and someone else suggested bedtime stories,” Shelton said.

The event is hosted by the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Dept. and supported by its members, with support from many community organizations and individuals. It will be open to the public and tickets are on sale now.

“It is a good way for the station to interact with the community, which we serve, and it is a safer alternative for a night out,” Walker said.

The maze will be divided into rooms, with each room based on a classic bedtime story or nursery rhyme. From well-known tales like Snow White to older stories like the Legend of Jack O’Lantern, the Haunted Jail will bring these fables to life.

“We are just looking at them sideways, trying to mix things up and give the audience a surprise,” Shelton said.

The construction of the maze is being done by CV Sheriff deputies, members of CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), community members and Charly and Mark Shelton of Shelton and Dad VFX.

“This is something we formed this year,” Shelton said of Shelton and Dad. “We have been doing these haunts for the past 12 years, going back to when my sister was in elementary school and we built a haunt for the school carnival. Since then, we have designed and built haunts almost every year for various organizations around the community, like the Dept. of Parks and Recreation and several years for the Sheriff’s Department.”

The pair brings a wealth of experience to creating haunts. Shelton has been in haunts since childhood, working as a scare-actor in LA area haunts since fourth grade. One of the many haunts he and his father have worked on was the Bob Burns Halloween Extravaganza.

The Bob Burns home haunts in Burbank are well known for their professional special effects and live productions. From 1967 to 1982 it was a traditional Burbank haunt. In 2002, the production returned for the last time with a maze based on the original 1951 horror classic, “The Thing from Another World.” Shelton worked on this project. He has been surrounded by special effects since infancy when he went on sets with his dad, Mark, who worked on special effects in films with 4Ward Productions.

Recently, Shelton and Dad found that members of the haunt industry were including them as professional haunters, though they were just doing haunted houses for fun.

“So we thought we should form a company. We want to help organizations create themed entertainment events year-round, both as fundraisers and just for fun,” Shelton said.

A portion of the Haunted Jail proceeds from ticket sales will go to CVHS Prom Plus.

The Haunted Jail is also partnering with the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation, which will have booths at the event, and will host a Halloween Carnival on Saturday, Oct. 27. During the afternoon hours, the Bed(lam) Time Stories maze will have the haunts toned down considerably for a younger audience.

“There will be a Twilight Show on Saturday,” Walker said. “It is also during this time we will be holding a costume contest for kids.”

The Haunted Jail is on Friday, Oct. 26 and Saturday, Oct. 27 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., with the Twilight Show and Halloween Carnival on Saturday only, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets for adults are $7 pre-sale and $8 at the door. Kids ages 3 to 10 are $4 pre-sale and $5 at the door. Pre-sale tickets can be purchased at the CVW office, 3800 La Crescenta Ave., Ste. 101 and at Sunday’s Harvest Market.

The CV Sheriff’s Station is located at 4554 Briggs Ave. in La Crescenta.

  Mary Okeefe