Wildomar Tombstone-Maker Embraces The Spooky Amid Breast Cancer Battle

WILDOMAR, CA—The Willes family of Wildomar runs a thriving prop-headstone business and a popular home haunt to the delight of their neighbors and town. Though this may not seem a "typical career path," for Brian and Alison Willes, together with their daughter Madelyn, 14, Halloween is more than a living. It’s a way of life.

One week before Halloween this year, Alison underwent surgery following a breast cancer diagnosis. Patch spoke with Brian, who says the months of prop-making and preparation for "The Nightmare at Cottonwood Corner" have been challenging but remain rewarding for the whole family.

Their "Nightmare At Cottonwood Corner" home haunt, located at 36143 Stable Lanes Way, Wildomar, remains open through Halloween night, and has been a solid distraction this year. Still, with Alison's diagnosis, “it’s been a challenging few months, to say the least,” Brian said. He and Alison have always shared their love of the spooky with friends and neighbors, so they decided this year should be no different.

It began over 15 years ago in Chino Hills when the pair were disappointed in the neighborhood's lack of trick-or-treaters. The following year, in 2007, they decided to treat the neighborhood with a haunted display.

“Alison and I wanted to ensure our child had some of the same magical memories of Halloween as we did,” he said. That first foray into spooky front yards began with floating ghosts and a fog machine. Eventually, it evolved into a large-scale animated show with custom-made videos, a 30-minute soundtrack, and all homemade props.

When they moved to Wildomar, the Chino Hills "home haunt lore" didn’t translate to Wildomar, so they made some changes.

“I had to rebuild everything from the backstory to the soundtrack, characters, and programming, which I continue to refine.” They invented the character Wild Omar (a nod to Wildomar), and he plans to tinker with the story, the design, and the props, likely until Halloween night!

Around the haunt, visitors notice the large-scale headstones with lit-up displays, a signature of the pair's second business, “Nightmare Creators,” which they run over Etsy. COVID-themed stones reminded people to stay "6 feet apart or be 6 feet under" and other irreverent nods to the pandemic.

“We had created illuminated gravestones for our home haunt years and years ago. Many people would ask where we bought them. Everyone would mention a funny saying that matched their personality,” he said. Thinking they were on to something, the pair launched a faux-headstone business while off work during COVID. “We bought a CNC - computer numerical control - machine and gave it a shot, posting them for sale on Etsy.”

Online orders started pouring in, primarily from requests for "Over the Hill"-style headstones and other home haunt front yard cemeteries.

The gravestones were selling like crazy. They now have three of the machines in an 800 sqft shop.

“It’s the illuminated design that people love—they make the inscriptions easily read from a distance. They’re whimsical but can have a spooky vibe.”

The headstones are ideal for the large slice of property in Wildomar, which boasts a full prop-headstone cemetery.

“It's large and dark, and it can easily be made spooky. It's unlike most properties in Southern California, being 2.5 acres, unlike the homes built all around us,” he said. Plus, their location is surrounded by large cottonwood trees near a creekbed.

“The creek bed lent itself naturally to the swamp and bayou theme, and the backstory grew from there,” he said. “We’ve been building since June and have spent every free moment working on it. My favorite part is the Cottonwood Cemetery, which features gravestones over six feet tall and even a water show. It’s rare to see a home haunt with a water show!”

He says The Nightmare at Cottonwood Corner is a family-friendly experience that captures the classic Halloween vibe. He and his wife Alison and daughter Madelyn love haunted houses.

“We want kids and adults to have lasting memories of visiting that ‘spooky house’ in the neighborhood, just like we did when we were young,” he said. “I still remember that one house in the neighborhood where I grew up with a black light and a cassette tape soundtrack playing. As a kid, I built haunted houses on the driveway with my family and neighborhood friends using black tarps and PVC pipes. We would put that poor friend who drew the short straw in a large box with his head sticking out the top and surround his neck in spaghetti. The decor was much simpler, then!”

Though they took the fall of 2023 off, “Halloween has been on my mind ever since!”Brian’s ideas were building, as was the itch to create a new show specifically for Wildomar.

“I’ve been programming, building soundtracks, and crafting new props throughout the year. We started constructing the maze in the heat of June, and I’m still not finished with everything I wanted to accomplish. Eventually, I had to draw a line in the sand and "start the show."

A sign designer by trade, he works for an environmental graphics design firm. It’s easy to see that nod as you tour the well-laid-out haunt.

“The Nightmare At Cottonwood Corner” has been featured across social media sites and on Patch and given a solid nod by the neighbors. Still, according to Brian Willes, family is at the heart of the display. His parents, Brad and Julie, still help tremendously with their haunt, especially during Alison’s recovery this year.

“We thank them from the bottom of our hearts,” he said. “We could not do it without them!”

As October winds to November, the Willes family will return to their staple Nightmare Creation business and Alison’s continued battle against breast cancer.

“We wanted to share this side of our story, especially since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. One in eight women in the U.S. will face this cancer in their lifetime and urge everyone to donate to the great breast cancer charities out there offering research and resources to women dealing with this.”

The Willes family wishes everyone "a happy and memorable Halloween. Get out there, trick or treat, and meet some neighbors!"

Find them on Instagram @nightmareatcottonwood and on Etsy at etsy.com/shop/nightmarecreators.

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