Old Man Whipple: "I Love Scaring The Heck Out Of People"

John Whipple, a lawyer and Montclair father of three, doesn't know where his strange passion comes from: dementia, an inner demon, some kind of sick cry for help.

But what he does know is that he has an affinity for scaring the heck out of people, which is just "too much darn fun."

And so, as every year, his Old Man Whipple's Haunted Walk will spring to life on Halloween, Oct. 31, starting at 4:30 p.m.

As always, visitors can expect loads of lights, sounds, artificial fog, creepy music, and scary characters running about.

This year, however, there's a twist—and not a spooky one.

Whipple is adding a donation box in order to collect money for Montclair High School freshman Dimitri Vallejo, recently diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Faced with multiple hospital visits, Vallejo's family needs help covering mounting medical expenses. Only last month, a was held at 3Sixty to raise money for Vallejo.

"The idea of raising money for him definitely encourages me to do this and to do it really well this year," he said.

When asked how he got started in the business of scaring people, Whipple explained that he and his wife Jane moved to Montclair in 1996 and bought their house at 182 Alexander Avenue in 2002.

"When we bought the house it was in need of some attention but had many, many attractive features," he said. "One not-so-attractive feature was the green weather-beaten shutters that we simply removed.

"The next Halloween I decided to put those shutters up crooked on the house and that was the start of my Halloween decorating that has grown every year," he said.

Helping him in his mission is Bill Ruhl, a Montclair resident and an old friend of Whipple's from Dartmouth College.

The two travel around the region, seeking inspiration for their annual haunted creation.

"We went down to Philadelphia to the Eastern State Penitentiary and to Ulster Park, New York for the Headless Horseman Haunt," Whipple said.

Whipple emphasized that the aim is not to create something "gory" but rather an outdoors scene that is eerie, spooky, and unsettling.

"My wife Jane indulgently allows me this weird passion though she doesn't quite get it," he said. "She has only two rules—no decorations before October 1 and no inflatables—rules that I agree with."

Whipple said he doesn't tend to buy retail items.

"I usually do homemade stuff ... I go to the hardware store and cannibalize this or that and cobble things together," he said.

For those who plan to come—and he hopes the whole town will turn out—Whipple offers this ominous warning.

"The little kids should come early but then, once night falls, you'd better look out," he said.

Old Man Whipple’s Haunted Walk

Who: Anyone of any age courageous enough to check it out.
What: Tour around very spooky Halloween house while also helping out a local family in need.
Where: 182 Alexander Avenue, Montclair.
When: Monday, October 31 from 4:30 p.m. to about 9:30 p.m.
Cost: Free but donations will be collected for the Dimitri Vallejo family.