Yvonne Shurley's eyes twinkle a little when asked what items she's procured in the last year to add to her massive horror collection.

One of the new features in Shurley's painstakingly detailed Halloween haunt, built in front of her Orland Park home at 17404 Deer Creek Drive for the last 12 years, is Chomp.

"He's a demon whose mouth opens and closes," Shurley said, while taking a break from scaring visitors. "He spouts blood, but we chose not to do that tonight."

Hundreds of people come to Ralph and Yvonne Shurley's home to see the new additions to the elaborate haunt. Tombstones, statues, animatronic figures, music, smoke, lights and other assorted scare tactics adorn the house's front. The additions keep people coming from other towns — even other states — to see what's new.

On weekend nights, Shurley and a few friends don costumes, blend into the scenery and suddenly spring to life, spurring shrieks and shouts — followed by laughter — from the attendees. It can be difficult to tell an actor apart from the moving statues.

Ralph Shurley plays warm consoler to Yvonne's impish mayhem, offering candy to those whose hearts still beat rapidly after the scare.

But it's all in good fun.

"I do it because I absolutely love it," Yvonne said.

And with the economy struggling, she feels she's helping parents give their children a good time, too.

"People can't afford to take their kids to a haunt. It's $15, $20," she said. Hers is free — and so is the candy.