HAYDEN — Creatures of the night emerged from their hiding places as the sun went down Friday evening.

Ghastly ghouls, spooky skeletons and more came out to play for the Valentine Bloody Massacre event at the Hayden Haunted Mansion.

"It was awesome, they did a really good job," said Taylor Ruis, who went through the haunted attraction with boyfriend Gabriel Ayala.

"I think everything is really detail-oriented, I appreciated that fact," Ayala said. "It built up a lot of anticipation and it all came together at the end."

Hayden's Valentine Bloody Massacre is a creation of Hayden couple Don and Adina Taylor, two entrepreneurs with a penchant for the paranormal. They purchased the dwelling at 2850 W. Hayden Ave. and zoned it commercial so their haunted mansion can be used for a scare-tastic venue throughout the year.

Their first spooky soiree was in October 2021, when they made a haunted house for their son's birthday.

"We bought some cool costumes and put in a few cool animatronics," Adina said. "Then we went all in and this is the result. We're officially Hayden Haunted Mansion Productions, Inc. I look forward to the future of it.

"People love this kind of stuff," she continued. "It's definitely outside the norm."

Don researches prop makers and continually adds pieces to the macabre masterpiece throughout about 13 rooms.

"Being able to experience what we experienced over Halloween and seeing the excitement and the fear and the fun that people had, it was really easy to be like, 'You know what, this is the best job I've ever had,'" Adina said.

Aside from the spooky theatrics, stories about paranormal activity swirl around this house. The Taylors have even caught anomalous images while snapping photos.

"I don't know if I've ever beat feet to my car so many time trying to be here at night by myself," Adina said. "The toilet seat slammed shut. The guys that were building the maze downstairs, the radio started changing stations, and they're like, 'We gotta go.' It was really weird."

Beyond the frights, the bonfire beckons to brave souls. A live band and refreshments are also on site for the adventurous to enjoy.

Nathan Manning and Ashley Milan enjoyed sitting by the fire after they went through the haunt.

"I liked it, just the creativity they put into it," Manning said.

"I like all the animatronics they have," Milan said.

The fright fest continues from 4 to 11 tonight. Tickets are $15 online at facebook.com/haydenhauntedmansion or $20 at the door.

Start your Valentine's weekend with a fright … if you dare.