A Gillette trilogy of terror: Local haunted house back to origins in its 3rd iteration

GILLETTE — A good horror film deserves a sequel.
Even if it isn’t good, as long as it’s kitschy and ubiquitous in the right way, the same truth applies. With or without the assurance of said sequel, the original story has to end in a way that gives audience members closure while leaving them wanting more.
The movie ends but the fear remains open-ended; it’s a tough balance to strike. However the horror story does end, one thing must always be true: it can never fully resolve.
Even when it appears to, the tropes and traditions of the genre are instilled to the point that an audience knows the end is never the end. Carrie’s hand might jut out of the earth from her supposed grave. Jason can emerge suddenly from the waters of Camp Crystal Lake. At some point, you will fall asleep, and Freddy just may appear for his umpteenth nightmare.
That’s the nature of a horror film. A haunted house, while similar in theme, may share a similar dilemma. But that’s not the case for “Knight of Gore.”
Unless you ask Chris Gore, who along with Knight “K.J.” Colburn and a host of family, friends and horror compatriots resurrected their backyard haunt for its third consecutive year in Gillette.
“I wouldn’t really consider it a sequel,” Gore said.
That may be. But whatever it’s thought of, the upstart haunted house is establishing itself as Gillette’s recurring Halloween franchise.
The third installment of the haunted house opened last Saturday and continues this weekend through the end of October.
This year’s theme is of a haunted asylum. And of course, all is not well and according to plan behind bars. Inside, the inmates — monsters, ghouls, horror icons — are running the prison, so to speak, and haunted house-goers have to navigate through the madness.
Each weekend, Gore and Colburn – whose namesakes the project was named for – and a gang of others will play host to long lines of young and old awaiting in the cool October night for their turn inside the fright fest — a backyard haunt with big dreams.
Knight of Gore is in its third year, with each haunt more of a one-off than a sequel. As Gore and Colburn see it, that evolution will continue on, growing into something even bigger and just as unique each year.
A Knight of Gore began in Colburn’s backyard on Bush Avenue in 2020. Last year, with Gore away on work and the production continuing on without him, it was hosted at a junkyard on Warrior Road on the north side of Gillette. That labyrinth sprawled throughout the scrapped cars and motorhomes, with visitors wandering through the path, avoiding chainsaw-wielding scares and costumed goons throughout.
Gore and Colburn, longtime friends who “go back like a Cadillac,” have an eye toward one-upping themselves with each consecutive haunted house, ultimately building toward a long-term and sustainable business model. For now, it’s primarily a labor of love.
“We’d love to be able to make it more of a business we could do,” Gore said.
“Doing stuff year-round, different holidays,” Colburn agreed.
“Yeah, I don’t think people understand the expense that comes into doing a haunted house,” Gore said.
“Time alone,” Colburn added.
Before returning to Bush Avenue for the trilogy, Gore and Colburn tried moving the show to a big open field north of town, near the Western Welding Academy. The planning never ends but construction must begin sometime. This year, it began in August, when they quickly realized the autumn winds crossing that field would be too much for their attempted expansion.
Every weekend since late August, and many more hours in between, have gone into designing and building the haunted house. Including volunteers, family and friends, there are about 18 people who have given time to the production, including spouses Nikki Gore and Kyla Colburn, their children and however many volunteers they can wrangle.
More partner than volunteer, Gabe Knowlton joined forces with them again this year. For about nine years he ran a haunted house in Upton. Just as Gore and Colburn have dreams of leveling up to a bigger and more elaborate space, Knowlton did too, joining Knight of Gore and scaling up to a bigger haunt within reach of a bigger population.
“We’re one full haunt,” Knowlton said.
Without spoiling any of the scares, it should be known that Knowlton is notorious for his use of a certain piece of handheld outdoor machinery.
“He’s a good creep when it comes to the chainsaw,” Gore said
“When this is all lit up, man, it’s just a whole other world, and we’re all creeps,” he added.
Just how creepy is it? Well, that’s often in the eye of the beholder. In the last couple of years, there have been people freaked out, pants wet and doors kicked in.
Even if you’re not the type to be scared, or you make it a point to not be, there is still something for everyone in the horror references, craftsmanship and genuine care that goes into it.
“It’s like for connoisseurs of haunted houses,” Gore said.
Those numb to the trappings of Halloween and horror may find appreciation in the detail and homage that went into the different areas and characters of the haunted house.
“You’re going to see the little details that happen in certain movies that the average person isn’t going to recognize but a movie buff is going to know exactly what it is,” Gore said.
This year is still ongoing and evolving week to week, building up to the most involved and all-out nights of haunt during Halloween weekend. But Gore and Colburn have begun planning for next year, too.
“We’re not going to really be able to reuse any of this stuff for our idea next year, except for maybe the pallets,” Colburn said, noting the wood lining the route of the haunted house.
They have big dreams for their Halloween endeavor. One day, they see it reaching its year-round potential. Not necessarily a haunted house all 12 months, but a venue or storefront, versatile enough to host different events throughout the year.
“It all boils down to how we do this year to see where we go next year,” Gore said.
Remember, in the world of horror, the story never truly ends. There’s always an opportunity for more.
“No matter what, we’re not going anywhere,” Gore said. “We’re going to keep doing it every year.”
 
This story was published on Oct. 15, 2022.