2011 Dunbar Haunted House brings Halloween thrills to new location

In a week's time, the seventh annual Dunbar Haunted House will open on October 14. This year, however, the popular Halloween attraction has moved from its previous South Dunbar address at 6478 Dunbar Street to a new house at 8934 Shaughnessy Street, which is close to the Oak Street Bridge and Marine Drive Canada Line Station.

The Dunbar Haunted House was started in 2004 by two Vancouver families. Last year, the attraction, which includes a full-scale haunted house, complete with local actors in costumes, attracted more than 15,000 visitors during its two-week run. The organizers of the haunted house are hoping that the new location will help accommodate more visitors this year.

The haunted house will run from October 14 to 31; 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Mondays to Thursdays; 7 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays; and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays. The cost to enter the haunted house at those times is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. The haunted house will also be open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. without actors for $5 unlimited access per person.

One hundred percent of proceeds from the Dunbar Haunted House will go to three charities this year: the B.C. Professional Firefighters' Burn Fund, the Vancouver Police Union Charitable Foundation, and the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau. The attraction raised $67,000 in 2010.

The theme for this year's Dunbar Haunted House is "Barbaric British Columbia", which will combine traditional Halloween characters with iconic aspects of B.C. culture and history.

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