Haunted greenhouse

October 8
Haunted greenhouse

Mauri Rapp Abington Journal Correspondent

SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. - By day, Floral Haven Greenhouses is a place for aspiring gardeners to satisfy their green thumbs. Starting at dusk last Friday evening, however, the pleasant greenhouse on Shady Lane Road became a frightful delight as Floral Haven Haunted Greenhouses opened for the Halloween season.

Owner Danny McDonough has always wanted to run a haunted house for Halloween. Once he purchased Floral Haven three years ago, he said he knew it was the perfect place to begin..Last year, McDonough opened Floral Haven Haunted Greenhouses for the first time and logged 500 visitors by the end of the season. This year, he hopes to at least double that number.

Visitors can expect a mellow beginning to the evening, complete with a bonfire, a horror movie and refreshments. But once they enter the greenhouses, they’ll be greeted by mad scientists, butchers, maniacs wielding chainsaws and Michael Myers from the movie Halloween. The 20-minute tour takes guests through laboratories, morgues and graveyards, up creaking stairs and around twisting hallways. And while many haunted houses in the area are geared more toward children or young adults, McDonough said that the appeal of Floral Haven is that they are able to frighten young and old, men and women. “A lot of the guys would start off trying to act macho, but by the end they’re practically crying,” he laughed.

McDonough has a cast of about 15 actors, including eight students from The University of Scranton. Tours will be in groups of five individuals per group and are completely self-guided. “I think it’s scarier for them if they find their way through the greenhouses themselves,” McDonough said. “It’s more fun for them that way and it seems more real.”

Floral Haven is open from dusk until 10 p.m. Friday to Sunday, until the end of October. Admission is $10 per person, 20 percent of all proceeds go toward The University of Scranton’s Community Outreach Office, which supports volunteerism for local non-profit organizations.