The immediate reason for this story is an open horror casting: VB30 is looking for new scare actors at CineStar Neumünster on August 22, 2026. The associated horror production is staged on a private property in Boostedt. The casting therefore leads to the more interesting story at Vossbarg 30.
The Kläffling family has transformed its property there into a walk-through horror attraction every year since 2019. A small Halloween display gradually became a production with a continuing narrative, handmade sets, video projections, sound, scents, animatronics and live performers. According to the project, attendance exceeded 1,000 for the first time in 2025. In 2026, VB30 will open on two evenings for the first time.
Despite sounding like a large attraction, it remains a free hobby and community project. That combination makes it relevant to the haunt community: the team uses methods familiar from professional attractions, but applies them in a private front garden with volunteer support.
What Is VB30?
The name simply comes from the address, Vossbarg 30 in Boostedt. VB30 is run by the Kläffling family together with a growing circle of friends, neighbours and other helpers. A 2025 report by Lebensart im Norden described how hedges become scenery, the carport becomes a children’s area and the garden becomes a one-way walk-through route.
VB30 describes itself as a private Halloween house or home haunt. This means a temporary horror attraction operated on private property rather than a permanent venue. Admission is free and there is no conventional paid ticketing system. In 2025, Lebensart only mentioned a voluntary donation box. Free time slots can be reserved for 2026.
The walk-through opens only around Halloween, but work begins much earlier. According to the team, theme development, research, set construction, technology, costumes, makeup and rehearsals are spread across many months.
From Pumpkin Lights to a Walk-Through Story
The project started on a small scale. In 2019, the family decorated its home with a string of lights and a few pumpkins. Moving figures, a dedicated children’s area, larger scare zones and connected stories followed in later years.
VB30’s official timeline shows how the project has developed:
| Year | Theme | Development according to VB30 |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | A small beginning | String lights, pumpkins and a handful of children |
| 2020 | The Butcher | Small production about the “Butcher of Boostedt” during the pandemic |
| 2021 | Grusel-Wusel-Nacht | Ghosts, spiders and singing pumpkins in the family-friendly area |
| 2022 | Graveyard of the Witches | First larger scare zone and the beginning of an original witch story |
| 2023 | Curse of the Damned | Undead theme and, according to the operator, around 300 visitors |
| 2024 | Portal to Hell | More than 500 visitors for the first time, according to the operator |
| 2025 | Baltic Horror Story | Northern German folklore and more than 1,000 visitors, according to the operator |
| 2026 | Grimm’s Nightmare | New fairy-tale theme and two opening nights for the first time |
The attendance figures and development stages in this table come from VB30’s own timeline. They were not independently recorded. However, the German public broadcaster NDR confirmed in 2025 that the Boostedt horror attraction has existed since 2019. The Lebensart report also documents its development from a decorated home into an elaborate walk-through experience.
The theme changes every year. Between 2022 and 2025, VB30 connected several productions through a continuing story about the fictional witch Anneke Höken. For “Baltic Horror Story” in 2025, the team drew on legendary figures from Schleswig-Holstein. “Grimm’s Nightmare” begins a new fairy-tale narrative in 2026.
A Year of Preparation for Two Nights
On its current About page, VB30 states that the 2026 season involves more than 20 participants, over 2,000 working hours, around 30 cubic metres of decorations and roughly two weeks of setup on the property. These are estimates provided by the operator, not audited production figures. They nevertheless help explain why the work does not begin in October.
Lebensart reported that the team starts looking for discounted Halloween decorations, checks classified advertisements and stores props immediately after the event. According to the report, Oliver Kläffling takes annual leave for the intensive setup period. Friends and neighbours support the family as scare performers or help with construction.
VB30 uses its own names for the roles within the team:
- Scaries perform the horror characters and deliver the scares.
- Crafties build sets, props and spatial transitions.
- Techies handle video, lighting, sound and animatronics.
- Readies provide support wherever it is needed during the event.
- Greeties and Sweeties welcome visitors, manage admission and exit, and look after the activities for younger guests.
These terms come from the project’s own presentation. Behind them is a practical division of responsibilities: even a walk-through that opens for only two nights requires admission management, technical support and clearly assigned roles.
Illustration: Original AI-generated training scene. It does not show an actual rehearsal or any members of VB30.
Story First, Effect Second
The clearest difference between VB30 and a decorated front garden is its emphasis on narrative. The team develops a new framing story for every season. In a workshop report, Oliver Kläffling explains that the first idea often emerges while the previous production is being dismantled. Research in chronicles, folklore collections and original texts follows.
The material is then turned into a plan that describes the visitors’ route scene by scene. Characters, transitions, dialogue, objects and quieter moments are defined in this plan. Only then does the team translate it into scenery, lighting, sound, costumes and performances.
This is how VB30 describes its own process. It is impossible to assess from outside how precisely every sequence is fixed. The approach does, however, explain why the attraction does not treat its annual themes as a loose collection of individual monsters. Every character is intended to belong to the same world.
In 2025, the route led through northern German legends. Figures including the Roggenbuk, the Gonger and the “swarte Greet” were incorporated into a newly written horror story. The source legends and VB30’s invented framing narrative need to be distinguished: the event story is not a historical reconstruction.
Animatronics Built in the Team’s Own Workshop
The production includes self-built moving figures. The most technically complex publicly documented example is the Roggenbuk from the 2025 season. According to VB30, the sea troll stood more than two metres tall and took approximately 100 working hours to create. The team gives its material cost as around ?1,000.
The operator says that the figure contained a welded steel frame, servo motors, sensors and a small computer. VB30 uses Bottango software for programming. Sensors were intended to detect the position of a visitor group and trigger movement, sound and lighting at the appropriate moment.
These technical details are self-reported by the builder. The independent Lebensart article at least confirms that Oliver Kläffling builds his own animatronics and programmes movements and sound effects. In 2025, he also demonstrated a simple animatronic setup at the HalloweenBastler community meeting in Mannheim.
The effect is created through the combination of animatronics, static figures and live scare actors. Visitors are not meant to recognise immediately which figure is mechanical and which may suddenly move on its own. From an editorial perspective, this combination makes sense for a home haunt: technology can repeat movements reliably, while performers can respond to individual groups.
Light, Sound, Video – and the Smell of Old Fish
The garden is not treated as a neutral space for decorations. Hedges, paths and the carport are incorporated into the scenes. The setup includes focused lighting, video projections and original soundscapes.
According to Lebensart, VB30 even used a scent machine in 2025. It was intended to produce the smell of spoiled fish inside a fisherman’s hut. This small detail illustrates the production approach: scents are also used to convey part of the story.
The outdoor operation remains dependent on the weather. The visitor information states that only the sheltered family area may be available in heavy rain or severe weather.
Two Areas for Different Levels of Fear
VB30 divides the evening into an intense scare zone and the family-friendly Grusel-Wusel-Nacht. According to the organiser, the children’s area uses singing pumpkins, spiders and bats but avoids blood and deliberate jump scares.
For “Grimm’s Nightmare”, VB30 recommends a minimum age of twelve. According to the visitor information, children aged six and over may enter when accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. This is the organiser’s recommendation rather than a generally recognised age rating. Parents need to decide for themselves how their child may respond to darkness, fog, loud noises, horror makeup and live scare actors.
Performers may touch visitors as part of their role but are not supposed to restrain them. Visitors, in turn, may not touch performers or scenery. Such rules are particularly important in a compact attraction on private property, where performers, technology and visitors share a confined space.
“Grimm’s Nightmare”: The 2026 Season
In 2026, VB30 will take visitors into six dark interpretations of fairy tales: Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, The Seven Ravens and The Robber Bridegroom. A Pied Piper welcomes each group and introduces the framing story.
The story begins with a supposedly hidden book and the final writings of Jacob Grimm. This element was created entirely for the event. It should not be read as a biographical claim about Jacob or Wilhelm Grimm. The specific horror versions of the fairy tales are also VB30’s own interpretations.
Several new animatronics are expected to play prominent roles. The team is deliberately withholding which characters are mechanical and which are played by people. A costume competition, free scratch cards and the separate family area have also been confirmed.
The official “Grimm’s Nightmare” trailer on YouTube offers a first impression of the design and atmosphere. It is promotional content from the organiser and does not yet show an independently assessed visitor experience.
Opening times are:
- Friday, October 30, 2026, from 5:30 to 9:00 pm
- Saturday, October 31, 2026, from 5:30 to 9:00 pm
- Location: Vossbarg 30, 24598 Boostedt, Germany
- Admission: Free; a free time-slot reservation is available
Because this is an outdoor walk-through on private property, visitors should check the latest weather, access and travel information on vb30.de shortly before attending.
The Casting as a Sign of Growth
The horror casting at CineStar Neumünster is VB30’s public appeal to people beyond its existing circle of family and friends. On August 22, 2026, from 5:00 to 10:00 pm, prospective performers will be able to learn about the roles and try short acting exercises in the cinema foyer. According to the press release, neither registration nor a cinema ticket is required. Previous acting experience is also unnecessary.
Illustration: Original AI-generated casting scene. It shows neither CineStar Neumünster nor any actual applicants or members of VB30.
Participation does not end with the casting. Rehearsals and costume sessions are planned for September and October, followed by performances on both event nights. The participation page says that Scaries may join from the age of ten, while the casting press release refers more generally to interested people of all ages. Publicly available information does not explain consent, supervision or working times for minors.
The freely accessible casting information also does not mention payment or an expense allowance. VB30 describes itself as a volunteer hobby project. Before agreeing to take part, prospective participants should clarify the time commitment, insurance, costume, makeup, supervision and any potential reimbursement directly with the team.
At the time of research, the CineStar Neumünster website did not contain a dedicated page for the casting. The cinema’s address is officially confirmed, while the date, procedure and cooperation currently come from VB30’s press release. Anyone planning a longer journey should verify the event again shortly beforehand.
Why VB30 Is Worth Watching
A comparison with a theme park would be misleading. VB30 operates in a different setting: on private property, with a small team, free admission and a very short run. That context is precisely what makes it interesting.
The garden demonstrates what can be achieved in a limited space with a clear story, focused lighting, self-built technology and trained performers. Its development since 2019 offers other home haunts a practical example of gradual expansion. The individual components were added over several years.
How well “Grimm’s Nightmare” works as a coherent experience can only be judged after it opens. The production process, the attendance growth reported by VB30 and the new public search for scare actors already make the project relevant to the German haunt community before Halloween.
Sources and Further Reading
Primary Sources and Information from the Operator
- VB30: History, team and production details
- VB30: Visitor information for 2026
- VB30: “Grimm’s Nightmare” and the announced areas
- VB30: Official framing story for 2026
- VB30: Developing an annual theme
- VB30: Its approach to immersive storytelling
- VB30: Building and programming original animatronics
- VB30: Review of “Baltic Horror Story” in 2025
- VB30: Participating as a Scarie or helper
- VB30 press release: Horror casting at CineStar Neumünster
- CineStar Neumünster: Official cinema information
Independent Context
- Lebensart im Norden: Profile of the Halloween house in Boostedt
- NDR: The Boostedt Halloween house in its 2025 guide to Schleswig-Holstein
Research and facts last checked on August 4, 2026. Attendance, production scale, technology and programme details are partly based on information supplied by VB30. Claims without independent confirmation are identified accordingly. Dates, rules and procedures may change.
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