VICTORVILLE — For those who find enjoyment in being spooked, developer and creator Jordan Ebert has built what he believes to be the scariest haunted house in the Victor Valley.And he claims it's made grown men cry.Located off of a dirt road on the outskirts of Apple Valley lies Ebert's own theme park of clowns, psychotic doctors, scarecrows and every other creature that has ever lurked from within the shadows of nightmares.Built on Ebert's property, the haunted attraction is divided into two parts, the Victoria Manor and Deadwood Ghost Town — neither of which are for the faint of heart. Ebert doesn't hide his intentions for those brave enough to enter his mazes of terror. As crudely put on the Victoria Manor's Facebook page, their personal interest is, “scaring the crap out of adult men.”
Each of the rooms within Victoria Manor has its own theme, from a grotesque 1950s household to a room filled with tattered dolls that watch guests' every move.
Ebert has developed and worked on haunted houses in the High Desert for the past 20 years and has developed his own haunted house for the past nine years. He created a haunted house for Carmen's Ponderosa in Apple Valley from 2005 to 2009, and the Asylum house at the High Desert Event Center, formerly the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds, in 2010. His latest project has been Deadwood, a haunted ghost town that he built next to Victoria Manor.
Ebert volunteers to lead people through the maze himself because of the crippling fear some say they are overcome with when attempting to make their way through the attractions, especially a section known as Klown Town.
"There are lots of people that are scared of clowns," Ebert told the Daily Press. "Some people would take 15 minutes to get through one room but for the clown room there are adult men closing their eyes and crying, hiding behind their girlfriends.”
While he doesn't enjoy frightening children — he sets up a night specifically for children, when they can walk through the mazes without being traumatized — Ebert takes pride in terrifying teens and adults.
“I have always been scaring my mom as a kid and as time went on I started working on haunted houses to scare other people,” he said.
Tisa Scott wrote on the haunted house’s Facebook page, “I’m so happy I stumbled across this, I’m going on (Oct. 23) for my birthday.”
While many praise the haunted house for its fright factors, Ebert believes there is more to the house than the terrifying actors and decor. When buying a ticket, guests can get a discount on admission when they bring in two cans of food for the needy, making the ticket price drop from $8 to $5.
“I like helping the needy. It’s really sad when you have to see kids that are excited to eat,” Ebert said.
Unlike other haunted houses in the area, Ebert said he's continuously changed his haunted house to create different effects and frights every time someone walks through the maze.
“Nothing is ever completely the same," he said. "I have been elaborating on all of the rooms all week; a lot of people are coming back for the second or third time just to see how we changed the maze.”
For the those who can't make it out to Victoria Manor, there are two other haunted houses in the High Desert to visit: All Saints Lunatic Asylum from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday at 22521 Shawnee Road in Apple Valley, and the "Infected" haunted house from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday at 1866 E. Main St. in Barstow.
Admission to All Saints Lunatic Asylum is $8 per person; "Infected" admission is $3.