"Abel Barrera was homeless growing up in Redding. Gaspar, who was a classmate of Mike Barrera, was homeless and living in a car with his mother before being taken in by the Barrera family. Given this history, the Barreras in 2013 conceived of the Bernal Scream, a free show in the backyard of the family home on Bernal Road in San Jose for low-income families who couldn't afford other haunted attractions."
"By 2016, the attraction had outgrown the confines of the backyard, so the Bernal Scream set up in the parking lot of Westfield Oakridge Mall, where thousands of dollars' worth of haunted house equipment was stolen just days before Halloween. The Barreras knew it would take years to be able to open again, but they were up to the task."
"This year's show, Forbidden Symphony, kicked off on Sept. 19 at its new permanent home at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds with volunteers from the fairgrounds, HomeFirst and the Bernal Scream coming together to assemble housewarming kits for homeless individuals from San Jose's Columbus Park encampment who recently found safe and supportive housing through the City of San Jose and HomeFirst."
Mike Barrera and Christian Gaspar created the Bernal Scream in 2013 as a free backyard haunted show for low-income families, inspired by both families' experiences with homelessness. The attraction moved to commercial parking lots by 2016 but suffered a major theft that delayed reopening. Abel Barrera died of pancreatic cancer in 2021 before the attraction returned. Shows resumed with Lucifer's Wrath (2023) and Soul Shredder (2024). In 2024 the pair launched Scream Proud with HomeFirst. Forbidden Symphony opened Sept. 19 at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, where volunteers assembled housewarming kits for newly housed Columbus Park residents.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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