Maryland couple builds free haunted house every year to capture haunts of their childhood
By Jenny Fulginiti
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ODENTON, Maryland (WBAL) — Don’t miss your chance to get some last-minute spooks in this Halloweekend at a free Odenton haunted house.
Husband and wife duo Greg and Gretchen Abel are self-proclaimed Halloween nuts who wanted to capture the old school haunted houses they experience in childhood.
“We started talking about some of the old school, homemade haunted houses people would put on, and felt sad folks didn’t do that as much anymore,” Gretchen Abel said. “So we figured we might as well give it a try and be those crazy neighbors who do Halloween up really big.”
Starting five years ago with a humble PVC and trash bag structure, the couple has worked their way up to having a wooden shell they fill with decor and room dressing.
The haunted house, called Bats in the Beltram, is free to the public, but they accept donations, which go toward making the experience better each year.
“We scrimp and save throughout the year. We have a somewhat ambitious budget for what we make, but we save a lot of money since I’m a professional costume manufacturer. Making it every year helps because we can lay out a budget for a big project, like, ‘This year we need to make sure THIS happens,’ or whatever we need,” Gretchen Abel said.
The Abels hope kids will walk through and be inspired in adulthood to do the same.
“We’re hoping maybe we can rekindle just a little bit of Halloween spirit — whether among kids or adults. It’s an important holiday, right? Christmas and Thanksgiving are about other people, but Halloween is one night where you can do something crazy just for you. It would be a shame if that faded into obscurity,” Gretchen Abel said.
The duo plans to continue hosting the haunted house each year “until their joints stop working from old age.”
You can check out Bats in the Beltram at 1312 Beltram Court, Odenton, this Saturday and Sunday from 6 p.m. until midnight.
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