The Northland Horror crew at their A Hearty Halloween fundraiser. Photo / Supplied
The Northland Horror crew at their A Hearty Halloween fundraiser. Photo / Supplied
A scare-fest has become a cheer-fest after Northland Horror's Hearty Halloween event raised around $5000 for Kind Hands in Whangārei.
A sell-out crowd of trick-or-treaters flocked to McKay Stadium in Kensington on November 5 to test their nerves navigating a blacked out maze and scary houses - where a tasty snack or exciting toy awaited them at the end.
Northland Horror owner Aaron Kerr - whose go-to costume is iconic Halloween villain Michael Myers - was rapt about the success of their main annual event.
Last year marked the local event company's first Halloween fundraiser at the humble Whareora Hall. There, they raised close to $2000 for Heart Kids Northland.
Kerr said they sold 500 tickets in the name of this year's recipient, Kind Hands.
Trick-or-treaters each put their best foot forward in the costume department. Photo / Supplied
Kind Hands is a purpose-built cottage that offers Early Childhood Education and respite care for kids under six years old with either a disability, medical condition, or who are technology-dependent.
Northland Horror visited the cottage to see the facility, the work staff do, and hear the backstory first-hand, Kerr said.
"We thought, this is a brilliant charity to help out."
Kind Hands office administrator Karen Phillips was overjoyed at the generosity from Northland Horror.
She said the money would go straight toward active renovations to the existing building, which will allow them to help another 10 families. A new sensory room is also on the cards.
"It means a huge amount to us," Phillips said. "We've been very busy and have a huge waiting list, so any donations that we can use for the new building mean a lot."
Currently, Kind Hands founders and owners Sharlene Clements and her husband, David, fund the facility out of their own pockets.
"Northland Horror did a fantastic job on the day and we're so grateful to them," Phillips said.
Kind Hands staff repaid in kind by volunteering on the day at A Hearty Halloween, which included a 6am start time to transform the stadium into a spooky nightmare.
One young trick-or-treater's ode to the classic horror film, A Nightmare On Elm Street. Photo / Supplied
The popularity of A Hearty Halloween has reinforced Kerr's plans to pursue running adult horror events.
"Ones where we can actually scare people," he said.
Kerr was inspired to establish Northland Horror three-and-a-half years ago after a stint in Fear NZ while living in South Canterbury.
His humble beginnings - a scarecrow in a maze - grew into making props and helping to organise events run by Fear NZ, the country's largest horror charity company.