A Clinton homeowner has turned his property into a sprawling Halloween attraction modeled on Lagoon's beloved Terroride, and the tribute is pulling in more than just screams — it's collecting donations for three Utah charities. Kelly Hertel says he poured over 400 hours into building the display, which recreates the dark-ride experience that haunted his own childhood memories.
Hertel's attraction includes elaborate decorations, themed displays and scares, with each section carrying its own theme so that the decorations unfold like a story, according to FOX 13 News Utah. The display, built at his Clinton home, now draws neighbors and visitors from across the state, per the same report. For Hertel, the project traces back to a vivid childhood ride on Lagoon's actual Terroride — he recalled his mother urging him to open his eyes during the ride, and he said he pretended to open them just so she wouldn't make him ride it again.
Lagoon itself describes Terroride as the park's oldest haunted attraction, calling it a classic haunted-house dark ride that travels through darkened hallways filled with nightmarish scenes, according to Lagoon. The park notes the ride has remained largely unchanged over the years, letting repeat visitors relive old memories while bracing for one last surprise before it ends. As the station's report notes, Hertel's home version may not be the actual Terroride ride at Lagoon, but the homage is clearly resonating with fans of the original.
A Tradition Years in the Making
This isn't Hertel's first elaborate yard project. Locally, he's become known as the “Ghost Rider of Clinton,” a nickname that stuck after years of seasonal displays, per KSL. The tradition began back in March 2020, when Hertel started an outdoor drawing and painting project simply to reassure his out-of-state daughter that he was okay during the early days of the pandemic, KSL reported.
By September 2020, he'd transformed his entire front yard into a tribute to classic Disney films, estimating at the time he'd already logged more than 1,200 hours on the artwork. Two years later, he told KSL he'd surpassed 4,500 hours of painting and drawing and expected to hit 5,000 hours by that Halloween. Macu.com has reported that his Halloween display alone takes roughly two months to set up each year.
Scares With a Charitable Purpose
For Hertel, though, the real point of the haunt isn't the scares — it's what comes after them. As he put it, the purpose behind the attraction is much more of a treat, and he uses it to support several charitable causes. Those include the Mascot Miracle Foundation, the Lamp House homeless shelter in Ogden, and the Christmas House, which Hertel says is where he actually got his start giving back.
The response from the community has been immediate. Hertel said that on just the first day the display was open, his truck was already half full of donations. Visitors have taken notice of the effort behind the scenes, too — Makayla Staker described the display as an awesome Halloween attraction for Clinton City, while visitor Jonathan Meyer said he thought it was better than last year, though that comparison reflects his own impression rather than any independent measure of the display's scale.
Part of a Wider Trend of Charitable Haunts
Hertel's setup fits into a broader pattern of homeowners turning seasonal scares into fundraising tools. In St. George, one man has spent eight years running a sizable Halloween display to raise money for a charity he founded, according to St. George News. Farther away, a Cobb County, Georgia family spent 14 years running a garage-turned-haunted house to benefit hospitalized children before recently closing it for good, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
For now, Hertel's Clinton display keeps growing in scope and reputation, built hour by hour in his yard and fueled by the same nostalgia that first pulled him onto Lagoon's Terroride as a kid. Whether or not it's the real ride, it's clearly become a Halloween fixture for Clinton residents and Utahns willing to make the drive.
