Charlotte County man rebuilds haunted house for neighborhood

It’s October, so this means we are entering spooky season.

John Walsh in Port Charlotte has created a haunted house every year to put smiles on kids’ faces and then immediately change those smiles to fear.

“Nothing like chasing a kid with a chainsaw to make Halloween worth living,” Walsh said.

But last year, the scares were cut short when he was forced to take it all down after Charlotte County code enforcement ruled it a code violation.

“I know it was 15 feet high, but it was just a Halloween decoration. It was not a prop, was not a permanent fixture,” Walsh said.

Then, Hurricane Ian destroyed the haunted house.

But this year, after several long phone calls, Walsh said the county gave him the green light to rebuild.

Walsh said he thanks them from the bottom of his heart, but he doesn’t do all this for himself.

“When you see the look on a kid’s faces when they walk inside, with the strobe lights and all this stuff moving around, they really enjoy it,” Walsh said.

Walsh built this house brand new for this year’s comeback. It’s not mandatory, but he’s asking visitors to bring a donation of cat or dog food for the local animal shelter.

The location of the haunted house is on Montrose Avenue and Page Street, near the Port Charlotte Middle School.

Opening night is Oct.13 at 7:30 p.m.