Homegrown haunted house delights with frights!

They started coming about an hour before sunset, just as the sky began to turn an eerie orange hue.

“Are we the first people?” asked an excited young boy with a host of questions, as he eagerly eyed the spooky decorations inside the garage to his right. “How scary is it? Super scary or not scary at all? Does it have jump scares?”

The kids at the check-in table nodded affirmatively.

“Ok!” came the boy’s response, as “Monster Mash” played from a nearby speaker. “Then I’ll love it!”

With that, he and a few other young customers stepped inside the homegrown “haunted house” on a quiet cul-de-sac in Cochran Park on Daniel Island – ready for whatever or whoever came their way.

Conjured up by friends Liam Gilsenan, 12, Connor Gilsenan, 8, William Hollifield, 9, Jack Raup,12, RJ Raup, 8, and Caroline Raup, 10, the space offers plenty of Halloween-inspired thrills for those seeking a ghoulish good time.

“It just kind of morphed!” explained Colby Hollifield, whose son, William, plays an “ax man” during the scary spectacle. “It started as something funny with them just clowning around and then it just kept growing and growing and growing!”

Hollifield says the kid creators each have about 10 hours into the project and are completely in charge of running the show. The haunted house is open on Saturdays from 6 to 9 p.m. leading up to Halloween. It costs $2 per person to go through - and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to hurricane relief efforts. The first two nights of business, they had more than 100 kids take part.

“I’m impressed!” said Hollifield, of the group’s efforts.

Liam Gilsenan serves as the leader of the tour, pushing buttons to activate the decorations along the way while making sure guests stay on the right track.

“It’s been really fun!” he said. “This is our first time doing it.”

While offering up some good scares is the goal, William Hollifield especially enjoys prepping for the show.

“Just getting it ready is the best!” he said.

Connor Gilsenan serves as the now infamous “headless horseman” inside the house, a job he clearly relishes.

“I like doing the jump scares,” he said. “…And when people pass the spider webs and when they go under the caution tape!”

Connor’s own family members had the best reaction so far, he added.

“My mom and my sister did it and they were jumping around and squealing!”

RJ Raup is the “skeleton Trojan” that tour-goers encounter at the end of their journey, just when they think the worst is behind them.

“I like it!” said RJ, who enjoys serving up the last scare of the night for his customers. “My sister’s friend was going through and I made her jump 10 feet in the air!”

“I like the jump scare at the end with my brother,” added Jack Raup, “when Liam says ‘your exit is on the left’ and he’s just there!”

The group customizes the “scare” factor depending on the age of their participants. Younger guests get a more toned-down experience, while older kids get the full package.

Last weekend, as the inquisitive young boy and his friends began their terrifying tour, he could hardly contain his nervous excitement.

“Hello, creepy monster right there,” he said, as the garage door closed behind them.

A few screams later, they emerged with the boy extending an enthusiastic thumbs up.

“Can we go again?” he asked. “We are totally going again!”

For more information on the ‘haunted house,’ visit the Daniel Island Moms Facebook page.