from “le détroit” · the strait
A Southwest Detroit car wash on West Vernor Highway turns its wash tunnel into a haunted drive-through this October, running nightly from 8 to 11 p.m. at $25 per vehicle.
Southwest Detroit's scariest drive this month doesn't actually take you anywhere. It runs you straight through a car wash.
Mr. Spotless, at 3827 W. Vernor Highway, turns its wash tunnel into a haunted drive-through this October. The run goes 10 nights, each night from 8 to 11 p.m. Admission is $25 per vehicle, a fee that covers everyone riding along inside, so a full car splits the cost.
The setup is simple. You pull in, you stay put, and the tunnel does the rest. Expect thick fog, strobe lights and the kind of scares you don't see coming. Clowns and other costumed creatures work the tunnel. There's no walk-through maze, just your car and the dark. The whole thing happens from inside your own seat, start to finish.
Owner Fathel Salha, who also goes by Fathel Alley, dreamed up the idea in 2020 after seeing viral drive-through attractions on TikTok. It returned in 2026 for another October run.
The people jumping out at you aren't hired actors. Salha leans on his own car wash employees and family members to suit up as monsters and clowns. What started as one owner's 2020 experiment has turned into a reliable Southwest Detroit October draw.
It's built with families in mind, too. Kids who make it through get free candy. The event is recommended for visitors 12 and older, though parents can bring younger kids at their own discretion. Organizers say police will be on site to help manage the scene, which matters on a corridor that stays busy well into the evening. For a neighborhood service business, it's a clever way to pull a crowd to Vernor in the one month of the year when a drive-through line counts as a feature.
Opening night gets the run going, and it wraps on Halloween. Pull up on Vernor any night in between, from 8 to 11 p.m., and bring $25 for the car.
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