Hilarie Burton is wholeheartedly dedicated to her Halloween festivities. In a recent discussion with PEOPLE, the actress, known for her role in One Tree Hill, humorously shared that her greatest achievement isn’t related to her work in television or her recent book release. Instead, she takes immense pride in being the go-to “haunted house lady” in her neighborhood.
As she reflected on her plans for Halloween 2024, Burton reminisced about the previous year’s activities involving her son, Augustus “Gus,” 14, and daughter, George, 6, whom she shares with her husband, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, 58. “One of the best things we did was get involved with my children’s school,” she told PEOPLE.
Burton proudly shares her ambition to top last year’s Halloween effort
Burton noted that there was no town-wide Halloween celebration at the time. So, she took the initiative to create a haunted house at her son’s middle school, gathering contributions from parents who set up 10 x 10 pop-up tents to form an entire series of themed rooms.
“It was wild!” she exclaimed. “That’s probably my greatest accomplishment.” In a lighthearted tone, she added, “I couldn’t care less about television or my books. If I can be recognized as the haunted house lady in my town, I feel accomplished.” She then expressed her ambition to outdo last year’s effort, acknowledging, “This year, I have to make it even bigger. The pressure is on!”
When discussing the setup process for the haunted house, Burton explained, “We arrived at the school on Friday, spent all night decorating, worked through Saturday, and then Sunday was the day of the event.”
“I find joy in scaring middle schoolers; it’s a blast,” she laughed. Aside from her plans to enhance the haunted house experience for Gus, Burton shared that she and George will be coordinating their costumes this year.
“She’s changed her mind about what she wants to wear so many times,” she admitted. However, one costume idea remained firm: “She decided to dress as Barbie since she adored the Barbie movie. I loved watching it with her, so I got an inflatable Barbie car to accompany her while she’s in her little rhinestone cowgirl outfit.”
