by Amanda Capote, Assistant Curator
Nothing screams Halloween quite like a local haunted house. Long before elaborate commercial haunted attractions became the standard, Boca Raton residents were creating their own homemade haunts and thrills, featuring spooky sets and classic monsters, fully operated by local volunteers.
For more than two decades, the Greater Boca Raton Jaycees, the local chapter of the Junior Chamber, hosted one of Boca’s most memorable annual Halloween attractions. Active in community projects, the Jaycees brought together volunteers, students, artists, and local organizations to bring their haunted house to life. While the attraction changed locations and featured new horror icons over the years, its homemade spirit remained a defining characteristic.
The first Jaycees haunted house opened at Boca Raton Mall (today Mizner Park) in 1976. Admission cost 75 cents for children 12 and under and $1 for everyone older. Inside, visitors encountered classic monsters like Frankenstein and the Wolf Man. The attraction was advertised as a frightening experience, with organizers warning that no one under 13 should enter without a parent.
Behind the scares was a true community effort. A stagecraft class at the College of Boca Raton, now Lynn University, designed artwork for the haunted house’s doors, while students from Henderson School and Boca Raton Academy created promotional posters. The Jaycees spent $200 to rent monster equipment from a professional costume company in California, with the total construction cost of the attraction estimated at $1,500, close to $9,000 today!
Over the years, the haunted attraction moved to several locations, including an old hangar at 3000 NW Second Avenue in 1979 and the Fifth Avenue Shops Twin movie theater in 1984. Transforming the theater took three weeks, with help from Spanish River High School’s “I’m Straight” club, an anti-drug youth organization. Proceeds supported several causes, including the Leukemia Society, Ronald McDonald House, and veterans’ scholarship programs.
By the 1990s, the attraction had grown considerably. In 1992, about 3,500 people visited, and the following year’s haunted house featured a 13-room maze filled with horror icons like Freddy Krueger, Jason, and Pinhead. A separate, G-rated attraction in Mizner Park offered younger children a less frightening alternative. Even the monsters were part of the community. At the 1994 attraction held at the Shoppes of Village Pointe, many performers were high school students earning community-service hours, and Jaycees president Mark Harrow took on the role of Jason. The possibility that visitors might even find their dentist or postal worker lurking behind a mask only added to the frightful fun.
The Jaycees’ haunted house continued into the late 1990s, giving Boca Raton residents years of Halloween scares while raising funds for community causes. What began as a homemade attraction grew into a local Halloween tradition, built on the creativity and involvement of Boca’s own residents.
Do you remember the Jaycees’ haunted house or another Halloween attraction in Boca Raton? The Boca Raton Historical Society welcomes your memories and photographs!
