After Years Of Thrilling Neighbors For Free, San Jose Father, Son Take Their Haunting Passion β€œPro”

Of all the ways that fathers and sons can bond, Abe and Mike Barrera's favorite is an unusual one: making other adults cry.

"It's really great," Abe, the father, said. "Fantastic," added the son, Mike. "We do it every day."

Abe and Mike are the creators of the Bernal Scream, a haunted house set up under a tent in the parking lot of San Jose's Westfield Oakridge shopping mall.

While it is the Scream's first year at Oakridge, it is far from its first year of existence. For the past twenty years, Abe and Mike have been creating elaborate Halloween displays in and around their families' homes.

The pair would spend upwards of $10,000 to create one of their haunted houses, yet not charge a single penny to visitors.

"It was our way of paying it forward to our neighborhood," Abe said. "It didn't matter if you had a family of twelve, it doesn't matter if you didn't have a job, you could come here and experience this."

The Berreras not only loved spending time creating their displays, they loved spending time with each other. It is why, this year, they decided to turn the Bernal Scream into a full-time occupation.

This time, in the mall parking lot, they have spent $100,000 creating a 4,000-square-foot, 6 room haunted house.

It is a great financial risk, but one they are willing to make.

"Whether we make not a penny on this, we still I feel like we've made it," Abe said. "We've succeeded and you know it's it's all about the bonding time."

On a typical night this October, Mike welcomes guests at the front door of the haunt. Abe spends his time wearing a scary clown mask in the back, menacing visitors with a chainsaw while the footbridge they are walking on drops six inches in an instant.

In between there are any number of frightful things from Abe and Mikes imagination that could make even the bravest of adults let out a scream.

Or, as the Berraras might call it, music to their ears.

"Somehow we figured out how to take those thoughts and make them real you know and it's just the best thing ever. There's nothing better than that."

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