Finding a permanent home for the haunted house they started with their father has added significance for Mike Barrera and Christian Gaspar.
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.
Sadly, Abel Barrera wouldn’t live to see the reopening; he succumbed to pancreatic cancer in 2021.
Mike Barrera and Gaspar staged a comeback in 2023 with “Lucifer’s Wrath,” which they set up in the parking lot of a former Marie Callender’s restaurant on Blossom Hill Road. That show was followed in 2024 by “Soul Shredder,” which was staged at the Almaden Plaza shopping center.
Also in 2024, Barrera and Gaspar established Scream Proud, partnership with HomeFirst, a Santa Clara County-based nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness in the Bay Area.
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.
“This is the first time in over 20 years we’ve had a haunted house have their home here at the fairgrounds,” Salene Duarte, executive director of the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Management Corporation, said at the event.
Scream Proud was established to honor Gaspar’s late mom, Maria De Los Angeles Gaspar, and Abl Barrera for “his deep commitment to community service,” Gaspar said.
“Today’s activity with HomeFirst resonates deeply with me,” Gaspar continued. “Living homeless with my mom, jumping from shelter to shelter, Scream Proud is so much more to us. It means that together we can make a difference, and together we can all rise above.”
“”Finding a permanent home at the fairgrounds feels like a true homecoming for me,” said Mike Barrera in a release. “I’ve been coming here since I was a kid. … My father’s dream of providing joy to those who needed it most continues to inspire us every day. This new chapter is a tribute to his vision and a heartfelt way for us to honor his legacy.”
“Forbidden Symphony” runs through Nov. 2 at the fairgrounds’ Gateway Hall. Attendees are encouraged to bring clothing donations for HomeFirst clients; donation bins will be available on site. Additionally, the Bernal Scream will be donating tickets to schools, as well as to low-income and special needs communities.
For tickets and more information, visit https://www.thebernalscream.com.