Dundas Nightmare a dream for B.C. Children's Hospital

This Halloween, why not scare yourself silly while shining a light on a good cause?

The Dundas Nightmare has been running since 2007, although not always under that name. A labour of love for Francesco Quarto, the home-built haunted house started as a fun side project, before morphing into a fundraising venture with a twist.

“My dad has been [decorating] the front of our house for almost 20 years,” says Quarto. “Halloween has always been big for my family, and I’m a big fan of horror movies, so one day I said I’m just going to build something in the back of the house, and my dad so go right ahead.”

Each year the Dundas Nightmare grew bigger and bigger, with this year’s edition being fully-enclosed structure with nine rooms spread across 1,600 square feet, put together by a crew of volunteers and friends. Four years ago, the team opened themselves up to donations, raising money for the B.C. Children’s Hospital.

“We wanted to give back to some of the children that haven’t had a chance to do what we had the opportunity to do growing up, like trick-or-treating,” says Quarto. “That’s part of a childhood memory that a lot of us can relate on, so we figure why not try and give a little bit back to those kids.”

Over the last four years, the Dundas Nightmare raised over $6,000 for the B.C. Children’s Hospital, with aims to raise even more this year.

The Dundas Nightmare is accepting donations October 30 and October 31 during their operating hours, or you can donate online at the Dundas Nightmare Website. Quarto says this year’s house is their best work yet.

“This is the biggest, but it’s definitely the best one,” he says. “We’ve put a lot of time and energy into the rooms, bringing it more to life… I think everybody this year loves to layout too. It’s unique. Different.”

Dundas Nightmare

When: October 30 to October 31; 6 p.m.

Where: Dundas Nightmare – 4260 Dundas Street, Burnaby

Price: By donation