FORT PIERCE, Fla. — The most haunted house on the Treasure Coast is a local gem you probably recognize in downtown Fort Pierce.
Jeanne Arias is no stranger to creativity when it comes to Halloween decorations.
You would never guess where she draws her inspiration from.
“Actually, Christmas started it. One year, I just thought it looked like a gingerbread house,” Arias said.
What began as a gingerbread house has transformed into a haunted house, now in its sixth year.
“The next year, I thought, let’s do something for Halloween,” Arias explained.
She started with spiders, but this year's theme features an epic showdown between clowns and skeletons.
"Usually, I start planning right after we finish with Christmas," Arias admitted.
Arias and her partner, Dale, aim to make the display more spooky with each passing year.
“We try to outdo ourselves, but it’s not always easy,” Arias confessed.
They handcraft many of the decorations to keep it fun and cost-effective.
“For the hands and arms of the balloon, Dale cut up some hands, and we added Styrofoam to make them,” she explains.
All of their hard work attracts strangers who stop by to admire the display and snap photos.
“It’s great that people appreciate this; I love doing it," Arias said with a smile. "Watching kids, and even adults, get scared is so much fun."
Although, Hurricane Milton delayed the house's debut, Arias plans to keep it up a bit longer to make up for lost time.
After all, she believes that the scares are always worth it.
