Some of the traditional fixtures of a haunted house -- flashing lights, loud noises and creaky stairways -- can often force people with disabilities to avoid the Halloween tradition.
Robin Frolic, the self-proclaimed haunt overlord of Frolic鈥檚 Haunt in Toronto, is aiming to change the way these spooky attractions are built by forming one of the first fully accessible haunted houses in Canada.
鈥淲e are the only haunt built by disabled people for disabled people,鈥� Frolic said in a recent telephone interview with CTVNews.ca. 鈥淭here weren鈥檛 any accessible alternatives for older kids in Toronto, so we set out to fill that niche.鈥�
Frolic鈥檚 Haunt is heading into its second year and has increased the variety of attractions from a single haunted house to an entire haunted yard on Frolic鈥檚 property.
鈥淲e had people last year who were in their late teens who鈥檇 never been able to go to a haunted house and always desperately wanted to, but they couldn鈥檛,鈥� Frolic said. 鈥淲e had kids in line shaking, not because they were scared, but because they were so excited. This is something they鈥檇 been looking forward to for so long.鈥�
Frolic has more than 15 years of costume-making experience and several years of amateur carpentry experience. Frolic leads a group of volunteers who work year-round to put on the one-day event.
鈥淭his is not a professional thing,鈥� Frolic said. 鈥淭his is purely a group of people who get together because we love doing this and we love providing an option for the disability community.鈥�
For Frolic, Frolic鈥檚 Haunt is all about being as accommodating as possible for as many people as possible, while at the same time sending chills down their spine.
鈥�(There are) a lot of very effective things that you can do in traditional haunted houses that we can鈥檛 do here,鈥� Frolic said. 鈥淲e still manage to give a really good experience despite that and I think the fact that we鈥檙e accessible more than makes up for the ways in which we can鈥檛 do it how it鈥檚 traditionally done.鈥�
The hallways at Frolic鈥檚 Haunt are wide enough for a wheelchair, sign language interpreters are available for those with hearing impairments and there are creepy items to touch designed for people with visual impairments. The house also allows service dogs, provided the actors are given advance notice to stay back if the dog might not be comfortable with people jumping out at them.
Frolic鈥檚 Haunt lists nine types of disabilities they can cater to
Frolic is a member of the Canadian Haunters Association, a group of 108 mostly amateur Halloween enthusiasts from across the country who create haunted houses on their properties. Chris Ainsworth, founder of the organization and president of the Ontario chapter, said he believes Frolic鈥檚 Haunt is Canada鈥檚 only haunted house designed for people with disabilities.
鈥淭his is what puts (Frolic) up on the pedestal because (Frolic鈥檚) gone above and beyond what people would even think of doing,鈥� he said. 鈥�(Frolic) put on a really, really impressive haunt last year.鈥�
Frolic says accessible haunted houses could soon become a trend as other haunters have reached out for tips on how they can accommodate more people.
鈥淥ur end goal is to make ourselves obsolete because other haunts become accessible,鈥� Frolic said.
Due to the planning and volunteers needed for such an event, Frolic鈥檚 Haunt is only open for one night, Oct. 27. In order to welcome more families to the attraction, the viewing times are split into two blocks, 鈥渓ow scare hours鈥� from 5-7 p.m. and 鈥渉igh scare hours鈥� from 7-9 p.m. For more information on Frolic鈥檚 Haunt,
Frolic says organizers will be forced to cancel if it rains.
Visit CTVNews.ca鈥檚 and for live updates from the haunt.
