The House of Horrors brings Happiness to its Owner and its Neighbors.
As Halloween rolls around again, residents of Huntington Beach no doubt would be looking forward to visiting the home of Dominic Menaldi, better known as the “castle house.” The castle house sits on the corner of Bermuda Drive and Magnolia Avenue and is distinctively unique. But it’s not just the gargoyles on the roof, the stone lion out front or the mediaeval-like stonework that makes this a special house.
Every Halloween, Menaldi transforms his home into a walk through house-of-horrors full of frightful scenes, spooky lighting, and sound effects to scare the living daylights out of those who dare to enter.
The castle house is a free thrill to Huntington Beach residents and Menaldi loves sharing his house. Getting the house decorated for Halloween gives Menaldi a sense of purpose and he enjoys watching the excitement his house provides. He has been doing it for years. He and his volunteers decorate the house and distribute hundreds of pounds of candy every Halloween.
But it hasn’t always been all fun for Menaldi. In 2009 he was in a legal battle with the city over lion heads and shields on the walls surrounding his house. Then on Dec. 10, 2020 while his girlfriend was testing Christmas lights, a stand of lights caught fire and ignited the attic. Despite the fire department’s rapid response, the fire destroyed the attic and upper patio, while water and smoke caused substantial damage to the rest of the premises.
Menaldi, who worked in security, saw his business decline during the pandemic. With limited income he was forced to consider whether to continue paying for medical insurance or home insurance. He chose medical insurance. His home was uninsured at the time of the fire, with just two weeks until Christmas, it was devastating. While the stone exterior remained intact, the interior was unlivable. Manaldi spent that night in his car.
The castle house returned to frightening its neighbors last year. Following the fire, Menaldi worked continuously for over two hundred days doing whatever he could to repair his home. Loyal friends supported his rebuilding and the newly restored castle house was back to scaring residents.
Prior to the fire, he spent eleven years completing the house to his liking. If history is a predictor, we can expect Minadli would be working for many more years to restore this house. “I don’t like stucco…” he once said.
It is obvious Menaldi does not like the ordinary. Halloween provides the opportunity to be extraordinary.
