Spooky, scary, sudsy: Benny’s Haunted Car Wash returns

It was a dark October night, and somewhere down Siegen Lane, there were spooky happenings at the car wash. Seems like a Mad Libs joke, but it’s true: Benny’s Car Wash is hosting its annual Haunted Car Wash event this Friday, Oct. 17, and Saturday, Oct. 18.

This year’s theme is an elevated version of last year’s “haunted circus,” with new characters including a gorilla, ringmaster and lion tamers, plus cool special effects and lights on the way into the wash tunnel.

“This is our fifth year in a row now doing it at our Siegen Lane location, and each year it just keeps getting bigger and better,” says Benny’s marketing director Caroline Rowley. 

Hosting a haunted attraction at a sudsy car wash poses a unique challenge, Rowley says, and Benny’s has been working with a consultant for the last two years to enhance the event. Some of its team members have even attended a haunted house show in Chicago to prepare, bringing back ideas to incorporate into Benny’s distinctive attraction.

“There’s definitely a lot of events, conferences and behind-the-scenes work that goes into it that you wouldn’t even know existed,” Rowley says.

Here’s how it works: the first hour of each evening’s event is a little less spooky, with no jump scares and more daylight for kids to see out of the car windows. However, once 7 p.m. hits, the volunteer actors get the go-ahead to not hold back. Expect creepy characters to pop into the window and fog to permeate the route to the wash tunnel. The experience lasts about 15 to 20 minutes, all seen from the car seat.

The Haunted Car Wash is actually a fundraising event, with all proceeds benefiting Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital. By the start of October, all the volunteer spots to work the event were filled by Benny’s employees, reflecting what Rowley says is a sort of bonding experience and a morale boost for the participants. 

“It’s always a fun time for all of us,” she says. “It’s bigger than we could have ever imagined.”

Benny’s has been around just shy of 75 years, and there used to be a smaller version of the haunted car wash many decades ago. A few years ago, a photo of one of those older productions struck one of the current employees with inspiration, and the annual wash as we now know it was born.

“Even though each year is a little different, it just seems like it’s getting a little bit easier as time goes on,” Rowley says. Even with the countless hours that go into the big event, she stresses that it’s fun to participate in and the community engagement is exciting to see. “That’s good motivation for us: knowing that no one’s tired of it yet. It’s starting to become a prominent event in the city that people are almost anticipating when October rolls around.”

While the event doesn’t exactly sell out, in previous years, the Benny’s team has had to turn people away and tell them to come back the following day. Any customers who buy a ticket but can’t attend will be able to redeem that car wash at a later date, as the sales are non-refundable. Entry to the car wash requires one ticket per vehicle.

Benny’s Haunted Car Wash is taking place Oct. 17-18, from 6 to 10 p.m. at 8370 Siegen Lane.