Darkness Rises Over Massapequa

This Halloween, Massapequa has gotten just a bit creepier in the form of Darkness Rising, a horrific new Haunted House attraction located at 10 Brooklyn Avenue.

However, while rumored to actually be a portal to the Netherworld right in the very heart of Massapequa, Darkness Rising is actually using its powers for good instead of evil by benefiting local charities.

Mark Wenzel, Assistant Director at YES Community Counseling Center of Massapequa, said that the Darkness Rising rose from one family’s passion for theatrics and the macabre.

"The people who have been doing the Haunted House for us have been doing it six years now," he said. “They did it without our direct involvement for the first year or two, and we've gotten more involved at helping them at their house up until now, and this year, at their new location on Brooklyn Avenue."

The Darkness Rising Haunted House was started by the Baird family of Massapequa, who originally ran the attraction out of their home on Ripplewater Avenue.

"Part of their haunted house actually went into their own home," Wenzel said. "Last year, you went in through the side yard, wandered around in the backyard, then up onto the back deck, in through the back door, and out though the garage and back out to the front street. It was very sophisticated...they gave up half of their house for the month of October."

The Baird family decided early on that they wanted to use their den of evil for the betterment of their community, so they contacted YES Community Counseling Center about a partnership. From that point, the Baird family started donating the proceeds from the donations they asked of attendees to the Massapequa-based help organization.

"We've been in existence for over 35 years," Wenzel said of YES. "We provide counseling services to adolescents and families from the local communities, and we also serve adults through out-patient drug and alcohol treatment services. We work very closely with the schools, and do our best to respond to the needs of the community."

As the years went on, the Baird family's haunted house grew until its evil could no longer be contained by the walls of their suburban home. Clearly, it was time for the family to move their attraction to someplace better able to contain their malevolence. That's when the Bairds and YES reached out to the Massapequa Fire Department, who donated the use of one of their buildings on Brooklyn Avenue.

"The Fire Department bought into the concept in part because half of this year's proceeds go to the Heather Pendergast Fund," Wenzel said. "The fund is in memory of a daughter of a Fire Department member who passed away from an illness, and the Department created this fund to aid the children of any Firemen who have life-threatening illnesses."

Encompassing about 5,000 square feet of terror and employing about 40-50 deranged, diabolical denizens determined to scare you to death, Darkness Rising takes about 20 minutes to traverse and is recommended for those 12 and up.

"You have to like to be scared, because that's what they try to do," Wenzel said.

Darkness Rising runs this week from Thursday, Oct. 27 through Monday, Oct. 31 (Halloween), starting at 6 p.m. each day. For more details, you can visit the Darkness Rising website.