A maze meant to be enjoyed Halloween, free for all

Halloween has always been a big deal for the Blackwell family.

They have decorated for the holiday for years, gone all-out with costumes and embraced all things horror. About five years ago, Sarah Blackwell floated an idea to her father: ‘Why not turn their front yard into a haunted house?’

He eventually agreed.

What began as a relatively small, haunted attraction has grown into an annual community tradition, with the family transforming its Chula Vista front yard into an elaborate maze that is free to visitors.

“We love all things horror, so this was just the natural progression of that,” Blackwell said.

The transformation takes about a month.

The family typically begins during the last week of September and works a few hours every day, aiming to have the maze finished at least a week before Halloween.

Blackwell and her grandmother handle much of the decorating, while Blackwell and her father build the structure.

The basic construction is relatively simple: wooden poles and black plastic. But before construction begins, the family develops an approximate floor plan and agrees on the layout. They also decide what each room will look like and what its theme will be.

Over the years, the maze has featured themes including pirates, an asylum and “Dexter.” Each year, the family tries to add something new.

This year will be the biggest maze they have created.

Among the new features will be several rooms inspired by horror movies, including “Silent Hill” and “Saw.” Blackwell has also handmade several props that she is looking forward to showing visitors.

Her grandmother has contributed something of her own: about 200 handmade beaded spiders that will be available for purchase as souvenirs.

The maze is very much a family project.

Blackwell and her father oversee the construction and power tools. Her grandmother decorates and hands out candy on Halloween. Her brother chooses the sounds that play in the different rooms, while her mother gets dressed up for Halloween.

Blackwell and her father also become part of the attraction on Halloween night, working as scare actors and coming up with new ways to surprise visitors.

Blackwell describes her own role as builder, scarer, decorator and social media manager.

“I do a little bit of everything,” she said. “I like being busy. I enjoy it all.”

The family also relies heavily on recycling and reusing.

Rather than replacing everything each year, they look for new ways to incorporate older props into the maze. That helps keep the tradition sustainable while allowing the attraction to change from year to year.

Until last year, family members simply pitched in to purchase props and animatronics themselves.

Then they added Venmo and Zelle accounts for people who wanted to contribute.

Blackwell said donations are completely voluntary and the family never wants visitors to feel pressured to give. The goal remains to keep the maze free.

“We still want it to be free for everyone,” she said.

Community donations helped fund this year’s attraction, while sales of the handmade spider souvenirs will also help offset some of the costs.

The family isn’t creating the maze as a business.

They are doing it because they enjoy the holiday and want to share that enthusiasm with their neighbors.

One of Blackwell’s favorite memories from last year’s maze was seeing the community turnout and hearing people’s appreciation for the family continuing the tradition.

She also remembers successfully frightening plenty of visitors.

For the Blackwells, the attraction has become more than a Halloween decoration.

It gives the family a chance to work together, build something creative and share it with the surrounding community.

Blackwell said people are often surprised by the amount of detail the family manages to fit into a front yard.

The reaction from visitors is part of what keeps them going.

“This tradition is important to me and my family because it brings us a lot of joy to see all the work we do come together into this one big event,” she said.

The maze also provides an artistic outlet for a family that enjoys scary movies and everything spooky.

“We love to see the reaction of people,” Blackwell said.

And the family hopes the tradition will continue for years to come.

For now, another Halloween is approaching, another maze is taking shape, and another Blackwell family front yard is being transformed into a place designed to make visitors scream.