Shawn Maudhuit saw no reason why turning 40 meant the fun had to stop.

This most creative of West Deer residents -- husband, father, singer-songwriter-musician, artist, writer, Web master and designer of all things scary -- tries not to stray too far from his inner child. It has served him well as a creative spark for most of his four decades.

There is a reason why the smile on the face of the leader of the popular '80s revival band, Ferris Bueller's Revenge, seems to be brighter these days. That's because he is about to enter what he considers the High Holy Days of good times -- otherwise known as Halloween.

"I've always been a Halloween person," the 1988 Deer Lakes High School graduate says. "It's because I have always loved monsters. I think I was fascinated with how they became what they are and how powerful they are mentally and physically."

When he was 6 and 7, he covered his entire room with monster pictures. "That was great until night came and I was afraid to sleep in my room," he recalls. "I think I thought that monsters couldn't hurt you during the day, but at night 'Watch out.' "

In kindergarten, he would check out books dealing only with Halloween. One day, the librarian told him she was concerned about that and suggested that he try something different.

"So I started taking out 'Curious George' books, because I think he reminded me of a young King Kong," Maudhuit says.

Growing up, he would decorate the outside of his family's house for Halloween with some type of standing fright figure. "Whether it was a scarecrow or Michael Myers, the display was never complete until I turned on the strobe light and the creepy music," he recalls.

As an adult, Maudhuit has been able to up the creepiness factor and share the fun on a much wider scale, organizing elaborate fright nights, complete with sets and masks he designed and built, music he created and a storyline he authored.

He credits watching "Chilly Billy" Cardille's "ChillerTheatre" on Pittsburgh's WPXI-TV every Saturday night as a kid with inspiring him to do haunted houses. "He was one of my biggest influences, and I had the honor to work with him a few years ago," Maudhuit says.

After creating and operating the West Deer Nightmare as a fundraiser for community organizations for five years in Bairdford Park, West Deer, Maudhuit oversaw the Temple of Terror at the Syria Shine Center, Harmar Township, for three years.

After a year off last year when the Temple of Terror closed, he's back and ready to scare in an even bigger and more cerebral way at the Indiana Township town hall, where he has set up Hobbs Manor Haunted House, opening Friday. A portion of the proceeds benefits the township community center.

For Maudhuit, who self-financed the project, it is the realization of a dream.

"Every single mask and prop is built from the ground up and not purchased. I taught myself to build everything and never took one class," he says with pride. "The Halloween story I wrote is original."

It takes its inspiration from the Noah Hobbs serial-killer character and story he created for the West Deer Nightmare and temporarily had to put to rest while with the Temple of Terror.

"People kept asking about him, and I knew that it was time to bring Noah back stronger and scarier than ever," Maudhuit says. Hobbs always had a great fascination with the dead and from the age of 13 would be found sleeping in the graveyard on top of the grave where his father was buried. "Hobbs didn't fear the dead, the dead feared him," Maudhuit says.

In Indiana Township, the Hobbs Manor Haunted House is depicted as a tour of Hobbs' residence, which has been turned into a research facility to study Hobbs and his frozen experiments.

"This haunted house is more like a movie franchise," he says. "You will find yourself deep inside Noah's world and look forward to the next chapter. I want this to be an experience and not just a haunted house."

He enjoys seeing people share his interest in the season.

"I think they embrace Halloween and going all out for it, because it's just plain fun," he says.

Maudhuit theorizes that people love to be scared because it puts excitement, laughter and courage all on the table at once.

"It's every emotion mixed together," he says. "A haunted house is like walking through a roller coaster. Each scare has its own drop, turn and loop. The further you walk through a haunted attraction, the better it gets. But in the back of your mind you know the biggest scare is coming soon."

Additional Information:

Hobbs Manor Haunted House

When: Fridays-Sundays through Oct. 30. 7-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 7-10 p.m. Sundays

Where: Indiana Township town hall, 3710 Saxonburg Blvd., Dorseyville

Admission: $10

Caution: Not recommended for young children

Details: 412-298-2892; www.hobbsmanor.com

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