After 22 years of providing the local community with Halloween thrills, the Scream Shack is closing its doors for good.
The fear-inducing attraction located on Wainman Line in Coldwater welcomed 250 screamers a night, on average, during October weekends. Owner Colin Laughlin nightly rounded up about 50 volunteers to dress up and scare, most of whom consisted of family, friends, and local high school students looking for a fun way to earn community service hours.
Laughlin started planning and building the Scream Shack each year in January or February and worked on it all way through the year until the first weekend of October, which was opening night.
“I’m definitely going to miss it, but it is also relieving. It takes up a lot of my time putting it together, so I’ll be happy to get some time back,” Laughlin said.
Throughout the years, Laughlin made a lot of sacrifices to ensure the Scream Shack was an annual must-see attraction for local Halloween lovers.
“A lot of times I didn’t get to go out trick or treating with my kids, but I think those sacrifices were worth it. My family and my kids liked what I did and they were sad to see it go,” Laughlin said.
When the Scream Shack closed for the season last year, Laughlin was planning on running the attraction for three more years. But when the COVID-19 pandemic put the 2020 Halloween season in jeopardy, Laughlin decided it was time to move on from his creation.
“I think I just wanted to go out on a good note and we had a pretty good season last year, so I was happy to go out on my own terms,” Laughlin said.
When Laughlin reflects on The Scream Shack years down the road, he says he will remember all the screams, laughs, and compliments, as well as the countless friendships he made.
“There are people who I may have never met if it weren’t for The Scream Shack and I’m really grateful for that,” Laughlin said.
Now that Laughlin has a free schedule during the month of October for the first time in over two decades, he plans on relaxing and enjoying a stress-free month.
Laughlin is planning on taking his daughter Jadyn on a road trip next October to check out other haunts including Reapers Realm Haunted Forest Ride in Sombra, who are now the proud owners of many of The Scream Shack’s props.
One of Laughlin’s biggest highlights over his long haunting career was making an annual donation to local food banks, The Scream Shack raised between $20,000 to 30,000 worth of foodover the years.
“That’s something I’m very proud of. I wanted to give back to the community and help the people who need it. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll need it, too,” Laughlin said.
He also sent out a heartfelt thank you to his friends, family, and many volunteers throughout the years and the community members who were brave enough to enter The Shack.
“Thank you for letting me get my creative side out. I couldn’t have done this without your love and support,” he said.
