Storm can't stop Halloween at Stoney Creek haunted house

Ed Chiu is still planning on having his annual haunted house at his home in Stoney Creek. But this year, it'll be a little modified.

Usually, Chiu's display starts at the driveway and winds up to the garage at 118 Watercrest Dr., where he collects donations for Breast Cancer Support Services. But this year, Hurricane Sandy has reared her ugly head.

High winds caused one display to blow all the way across the lawn this week. One skeleton was blown apart, and the other hangs by the road with one arm and one leg whipped off by the wind.

Chiu and his wife Caroline are still having the display this year. But more of it may be indoors.

“We're hoping the 31st will not be as bad,” he said. “Right now, we are bracing for a wind storm.”

The Chius may not be the only ones modifying their Halloween plans. The storm is expected to bring winds gusting up to 90 km/h on Tuesday. Winds are expected to die down to 20 km/h and become light by midnight. Wednesday is expected to bring more rain.

As for the display, “I look forward to it every year,” said Chiu, who takes a week off every Halloween to prepare it. “We're still going to be there.”

Chiu, who works as a station attendant for Air Canada, began the display with his wife at their former Burlington home about 12 years ago. She asked him to pick up Halloween decorations at a store, which was heavily decorated. He was inspired.

He picks up more ornaments throughout the year, often from the U.S. The exhibit now includes a faux bloody corpse, a demonic woman severed at the waist and a “flesh-eating zombie,” Chiu said. He makes other props, such as the tombstones, himself.

Last year, the Chius raised more than $200 for Breast Cancer Support Services.

At its peak in Burlington, the display drew hundreds and the Chius ran out of candy by 8 p.m. Crowds have been slower in Stoney Creek because their new subdivision is slowly gaining residents. But each year, more are making it up the driveway to see Chiu's work in action.

High winds and pouring rain or not, “we'll have fun,” he said. “We always have fun.”