Production Manager Jeri Mackley puts finishing touches on the Night Fright Haunted House in Imbler, which is open Fridays and Saturdays in October, plus Halloween night.

IMBLER — An abandoned warehouse and things that go bump in the night collide spectacularly in the return of the Night Fright Haunted House this month in Imbler.

Night Fright Haunted Warehouse is open from 7-10 p.m. every Friday and Saturday in October, as well as Halloween night. Admission is $15, and cash and cards will be accepted.

Production Manager Jeri Mackley has hosted Night Fright houses professionally for more than 15 years. For a decade, the Night Frights took place at the Maridell Center in La Grande — before the COVID-19 pandemic. After years of no public haunt, Night Fright has now returned — in an actual warehouse in Imbler.

“The haunt stuff has been in storage for three years, but then we found this place, and we’re bringing it back,” she said. “This is a perfect setting for a haunted house. This is a spooky, old warehouse, and I kind of feel like it could be haunted. The noises I hear out here when I’m working by myself at night are kind of terrifying. It’s very creepy.”

Spooky music and sound effects drift out from the parking lot before visitors even make it into the building.

“In all my haunts I do a storyline that follows through the whole thing, beginning to end,” she said. “Our story line is that this is a secret government warehouse that houses paranormal objects, so objects that have spirits attached to them, that are haunted or whatever, that are determined to be too dangerous to be around the public are brought here for safe storage.”

The story begins in the office of the warehouse where two workers — Frank and Joe — were on duty. Frank has gone to investigate a disturbance but never returns, so Joe calls the incident into headquarters and goes out to search for him.

“The object is to go into the warehouse and search for Frank and Joe and figure out what happens to them,” she said.

Visitors will travel through the various areas of the warehouse where different artifacts are kept in their search, and they’ll uncover a few frights along the way. To participate, groups of five people or less are sent into the haunt on their own, but there is an actor in almost every room to make sure visitors don’t get lost — and to scare them. The Night Fright is, however, a no-touch haunt.

“I always say if you don’t touch anything, nothing will touch you,” she said.

Some actors will explain or drive parts of the story, and visitors will know what happened by the time they escape. The acting is such a pivotal part of the haunt that they have an acting coach — Rikki Jo Hickey — who conducts auditions and works with the actors on their role.

“We need at least 18 people every night,” Hickey said. “There’s a lot that goes into this.”

Mackley began moving items into the warehouse last fall and has been working on it off and on since January. In the warehouse, she has built walls using the existing infrastructure of the warehouse, including power boxes and exposed beams. Much of the electrical and sound system also had to be redone to accommodate the haunt, and those will remain in place for next year.

“This is starting from scratch. We have to build a ticket office,” she said. “I have lots of room to expand for next year.”

To visit the Night Fright Haunted Warehouse, 410 Railroad Ave., take OR-82 from La Grande to Imbler and turn right just after the Imbler Corner Market. The warehouse is directly ahead on the other side of the railroad tracks.

“Go to the bathroom before you come, and bring a friend to cling to,” she said.

“Go to the bathroom before you come, and bring a friend to cling to.”

— Production Manager Jeri Mackley