Halloween tradition to end at ... 13

Halloween tradition to end at ... 13. Rachel Brown prepares her 'Haunt on the Hill' Halloween house, at 164 Old Forest Hill Road, for another scary night of fundraising to benefit the Hospital for Sick Children. Staff photo/JUSTIN SKINNER

The 28-year-old Brown has spent the past 13 years decorating her family's house, at 164 Old Forest Hill Rd., in more elaborate ways, adding new creepy elements each year. Fittingly, on the 13th anniversary of her Haunt on the Hill attraction, she plans on ending what has become a popular tradition for kids and parents in the area alike.

"I don't know how much longer I'll be living here; I want to get a place of my own," said Brown, who is working toward a degree in early childhood education. "I figured if I was going to end it, 13's a good number to end it on because it's a scary, unlucky number."

Brown has always been a fan of Halloween, usually dressing up like Wednesday Addams, to whom she bears more than a passing resemblance. The decision to creep-ify her house came about when she grew tired of the same old routine.

"I got bored of just handing out candy and as a Jew in Forest Hill, I didn't get to decorate for Christmas, so this was the next best thing," she said.

Haunt on the Hill has grown each year. In recent years, Brown has added a mad scientist's laboratory, a knife-wielding maniac lit up by a strobe light, a coffin that rattles and an electric chair that emits smoke as it zaps a skeleton.

She built the pieces herself by hand - construction on the new pieces typically starts in the summer - and said the electric chair has been her favourite since she introduced it a few years ago.

"It's the first thing I built that really worked just the way I wanted it to right away," she said.

While this will be the last Haunt on the Hill, Brown still has a few new tricks up her sleeve designed to scare visitors.

The house typically draws upwards of 300 trick-or-treaters and their parents every year. In recent years, Brown has started taking donations for SickKids Hospital as she welcomes families to the door. She hopes to raise a large amount in this, the final year of Haunt on the Hill. She has enlisted the help of Second Cup, which is donating hot chocolate that will be given out to guests.

"I've sent out postcards to 1,000 houses in the area telling them this will be the last year and reminded them to bring some money to donate if they want," she said. "The money from the hot chocolate will all go to SickKids and I'm hoping that and the postcards will get people to be generous."

While she admitted closing up the Haunt will be bittersweet, Brown noted her parents will be happy to see everything put away in storage. She added she plans on restarting the Haunt once she has a place of her own and already has high hopes for next Halloween.

"If I have the money, my plan for next year is to be in Orlando, riding the (Disney) Haunted Mansion on Halloween," she said.

But for this year, most of the decorations are already set up, though Brown will likely be making additions and modifications up until Halloween night.

Haunt on the Hill will run from sundown through 10 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31. For more information, visit www.hauntonthehill.com