Forget the trick-or-treating and pumpkin carving for a minute. If getting scared is on your Halloween list, John Henkes has something waiting in his front yard.
Henkes is the owner and operator of Natchez Haunted House, an outdoor home haunt at 13734 Natchez Trail in Orland Park. The attraction takes over his yard with Halloween decorations, frightening scenes and plenty of opportunities for visitors to get a good scare.
And that is exactly the point.
“Natchez Haunted House is specifically designed around one goal: to actually scare you,” Henkes said.
Now in its fourth year, the attraction grew out of Henkes’ own love of haunted attractions. After visiting numerous haunts, he decided he wanted to create one himself.
“My inspiration was through going to many haunts and wanting to make my own,” he said.
Henkes also saw other people creating their own backyard and home haunts and decided to give it a shot.
“I have seen many people do haunts or backyard haunts and that’s why I started,” he said.
Four years later, his Halloween project has become a neighborhood attraction, with the entire setup located outdoors at his home.
Henkes said the goal is not simply to fill the yard with Halloween decorations. He wants visitors to feel like they have stepped into an experience where something unexpected could be waiting around the next corner.
“That’s what makes it more unique than any other,” he said.
Natchez Haunted House will be open the weekend before Halloween and Halloween weekend from 7 to 10 p.m., giving local thrill-seekers a chance to see what Henkes has created before the attraction moves into its next chapter.
This year also marks an important turning point for Natchez Haunted House.
It will be the final season for the attraction as a home haunt.
Henkes plans to take Natchez Haunted House to the professional level next season, with plans to potentially operate at several commercial properties. One possibility is Konow’s Corn Maze in Homer Glen.
The move would allow Henkes to expand on the attraction he has spent the past four years developing in his own yard.
Before Natchez Haunted House moves on to bigger locations, Henkes has one more season to make his Orland Park home a destination for Halloween scares.
Anyone brave enough to stop by should come ready for the decorations, the surprises and whatever might be lurking around the yard.
After all, Henkes has spent four years building Natchez Haunted House for one reason.
He wants to scare you.
