Opechee Haunt presents Jack's Halloween JamBOOree 2: 2019 Review

Opechee Haunt, Glendale, CA

We’ve had kind praise for a new generation of “Young Blood” haunters who’ve been making waves in the haunt community with their innovative and technologically advanced haunts that show sophistication well beyond their years and home haunt resources. Places like Murder House Productions and Rosehill Haunt and Twisted Minds Productions have shown that age is no barrier to an excellent Halloween creation that is just as good as the commercial pros when there is passion and thought and resourcefulness already present.

Jack and Gus returns as hosts of this year’s JamBOOree.

But if we want to talk about the original spotlight young haunter, we have to return to Sam Kellman and his ever-evolving Opechee Haunt. Although Westcoaster first covered Sam only a couple of years ago, this inventive and impressive young creative has been in the eyes of the haunt community for years—ever since Rick West did a piece on Theme Park Adventure about his home haunt half a decade ago, a production he crafted at the tender young age of twelve. Labeled as the “kid haunt” there was nothing “kiddie” about this complex haunted maze at the Kellman family home that matched the scope and detail of quality home haunts put on by adults twice or three times his age or more.

Since then, Sam has tinkered with Opechee Haunt each year, delving into new interests and new ways of haunted storytelling, while utilizing technology to forge some wonderful productions well advanced beyond his years. From the traditional haunt maze to an interactive scavenger hunt utilizing phone apps to a haunted yard show with synchronized projections, lighting effects, and audio, to an IP tribute maze last year in the form of Donnie Darko, Sam Kellman has demonstrated that he is never satisfied with the status quo and is always pushing himself to new and unique challenges. And even though this year’s Opechee Haunt marks the first time Sam has returned to a previously-used idea, the resulting production shows a growth and evolution of production that makes it a charming, enchanting, can’t-miss attraction for this Halloween season!

Returning fans to Opechee Haunt should look around to find some fun Easter eggs to the past Opechee Haunt productions and references to the first Jack’s Halloween JamBOOree from two years ago.

Visitors who arrive at the Kellman residence will notice a much more deliberate set-up this year. A long wall runs along most of the length of the family home street front, with only the driveway visible to public view. Various posters announce the return of the Halloween JamBOOree show and its performers this year, and an assortment of props on either side of the facade provide some fun references to past Opechee Haunt events. Over on the left, a cute carnival-esque stand sells “pumpcorn”—pumpkin spice flavored popcorn—as a fundraising endeavor for this production. General donations are accepted as well.

Guests line up on the street next to the curb, keeping to the street parking zone and creating a more orderly process than Opechee’s first Jack’s Halloween JamBOOree presentation in 2017. About 15-20 minutes before showtime, they are shifted to the area in front of the driveway to queue in front of part of the Opechee Cemetery, where they are entertained with a series of short projection vignettes detailing the tragic stories of three of the grounds’ permanent departed guests. A piano player, circus clown, and war general all meet unexpected demises as the narrator tells their story in morbid rhyme.

Then, just before showtime, the stage announcer surprises the disembodied voice of the narrator with news that he’s been replaced. A suspiciously Ghost Host-sounding voice-over takes over, though after a bit of a spat, this role is given to a suspiciously Rod Serling-sounding speaker, but circumstances eventually revert the role back to the original spooky narrator, who rushes through a safety spiel before guests file into the viewing area for the actual show.

A macabre preshow entertains the crowds via a cemetery on the driveway, before they enter the show.

The set-up this year is much more organized and framed than the first Halloween JamBOOree. Guests stand in two rows on a platform looking out onto the front yard, where the rest of the Opechee Cemetery unfolds before them. A ceiling and two walls on each side literally control sightlines, creating a much more theatrical feel. At first the lights are dim, and the cemetery looks dark like any other. But cue the music and the fanfare, and the cemetery bursts to colorful life (pun not intended), and our favorite wise-cracking pumpkins, Jack and Gus, get the spotlight.

Much like the original show, Jack’s Halloween JamBOOree 2 is a variety act featuring various jack-o-lantern acts. There’s Maximilliano the Magnificent, a magician pumpkin with a rather Boney Island namesake who astounds and confounds with his mesmerizingly simple illusions. The Barbershop Gourdtet croons a capella tunes with sweet harmony, though their subject matter ironically becomes rather unsettling and disconcerting when one listens to the lyrics—a reflection of the tension that overlays this show, as one odd event after another appears to try to sabotage the festivities. Maurice the Mime is a white-face squash who pantomimes with expert ability. And Abby the Acrobat offers a wondrous, high-flying stunt that might leave the acrophobic squeamish.

Performances include acts by Maximilliano the Magnificient…

There are other characters that have joined the show this year, though. Just not necessarily intentionally. A pair of sarcastic and heckling spirits play a Statler and Waldorf role from unseen rafters, commenting on just how much of a joke each act is. Joining them are some human spirits who interject into certain scenes—some for comedic relief purposes, and others for the show’s more dramatic moments. There are even a couple of live actor roles this year when the shadowy menace that has hovered over the entire show (hinted at during Opechee Haunt’s Midsummer Scream Hall of Shadows scavenger hunt this past summer) reveals himself and summons his dark powers to the open.

Maurice the Mime is quite convincing as a silent statue performer.

Abby the Acrobat is another feature, though she encounters peril during the show.

Eventually, though, the forces of good prevails, and even the villian comes around to a moment of realization and self-reflection, making peace with Jack and Gus for the maelstrom that has been laid upon Opechee Cemetery. The ending is bittersweet, as Jack and Gus reminisce on their past adventures and look toward the future and the uncertainty that it brings. It parallels the real-life future of Opechee Haunt, as Sam prepares for a new chapter in college that will likely take him away from being able to put on Opechee Haunt for at least the next several years.

The beauty of Jack’s Halloween JamBOOree 2 is its layers of humor and messages that appeal to both children and adults and regular fans and haunters alike. The charm and whimiscal luster of Halloween is on full display in the form of the sumptuous ambiance of Opechee Cemetery, with its saturated colors and eclectic guests. The preshow portion intimates the tone of the first half of the Haunted Mansion, echoing its spooky and eerie presence, and even borrowing its Ghost Host for a spell. The show functions independently of the original show. One need not have seen the first to enjoy this sequel, but there are also plenty of references and little details that will appeal to those who were here in 2017 to witness that spectacle. Both outside the show and within, the Easter eggs show a care and attention to Opechee’s supporters through the years.

The writing is similarly advanced and sophisticated, with many jokes that may fly over children’s heads but elicit chuckles from adults. In many ways, this mirrors Sam’s growth from a pre-teen when he first started creating DIY Halloween attractions to his place now as a maturing young adult growing more and more confident in his creative decisions and learning from his past productions. Sam is writing for himself, and the script and dialogue are a clear indication that he’s not a kid anymore—though he’s not afraid to slip in silly jokes, such as when a guest ghost stand-up comedian is fed up with the spirit heckler’s encouragement to be more crass and lays on a heavily, HEAVILY censored, curse-filled diatribe that is basically nothing but several extended and continuous bleeps.

An unexpected change of plans allow a ghostly stand-up comedian to slay the crowd with some terrible dad jokes.

There are even deep dives for haunt enthusiasts, like when the stage manager has a creative disagreement with the Ghost Host narrator during the preshow, resulting in the exulted voice proclaiming that he’ll be returning to “the superior home haunt projection show… House at Haunted Hill!” Most people won’t get that joke, but haunt enthusiasts will surely appreciate it.

The dialogue gets really allegorical toward the end of the show, however, and it represents a bittersweet reflection of Opechee Haunt through the years and the new chapter of Sam’s life as he transitions from high school life living at home (with the time to dabble in amazing productions such as this haunt) to future college life, away from home, with new challenges and new focuses. The spirits leaving at the end of the show represent Sam leaving the family nest, and Jack and Gus musing open the future of Opechee reflect the reality that this amazing home haunt that has enriched the Halloween season for so many years probably will not be returning next year or anytime soon, especially if Sam’s college career takes him far from Southern California.

When trouble arises, the non-Ghostbusters / non-copyright-infringing Spectre Inspectors rushes to the scene for rescue.

If this is how Opechee Haunt ends (for now), it does so on a high note. Jack’s Halloween JamBOOree is a delightful tribute to the magic of Halloween and the fun and silliness of the scary stories and haunted tales that entertain all of us as children. It is the embodiment of the Halloween spirit—amusing, fun, sometimes spooky, occasionally fraught, but all oriented toward the good and enjoyment of everyone who participates. Sam Kellman has given a gift to the haunt community and the local neighborhood, and we are truly grateful that he has shared his passion and enthusiasm with the rest of us all these years.

Now a senior in high school, Sam has proven that he is more than just a novelty kid haunter being praised for accomplishments that people his age don’t normally achieve. With Opechee Haunt, Sam has shown his creativity and meticulous focus on executing those ideas rival anyone in the home haunt or even general haunted attraction business.

Sam has a very bright future ahead of him. His portfolio includes a diversity of productions that would put most professionals to shame, and though he’s done things ranging from the scary to the charming, I think that Jack’s Halloween JamBOOree is his crowning achievement. It’s a technically advanced, tightly-written, well executed story with laughs and creativity, and it’s everything one could want from a haunted attraction. It simply puts a smile on one’s face, and though he does have help from family and friends with voice acting and a few physical roles in the show, the fact that most of it is legitimately produced by Sam himself—the script writing, the animations, the lighting and audio programming, the set construction—makes it even more amazing. It is a true treasure to the Southern California haunt scene!

All ends well, however, as Jack’s Halloween JamBOOree celebrates a happy—though bittersweet—ending.

Opechee Haunt is located at 1307 Opechee Way, Glendale, CA 91208. It runs tonight from 7-10pm and Halloween night from 7-11pm. This charming and wondrous Halloween production is not just great as a home haunt, it’s great as a Halloween attraction period, and we highly recommend you make time to stop by this magical experience before it vanishes into the autumn mist once more!