Declan McCombs, who died from cancer in November 2020, was a horror fanatic, and loved to dress up as iconic scary characters such as Freddy Krueger and Jason Vorhees. (Photo Provided)

WHEELING — While most children would run in fear at the sight of Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees, Declan McCombs would race to hug them when the characters came to visit him when he was in the hospital for cancer treatments.

When the 5-year-old passed away from cancer in November 2020, McComb’s grandfather, Duane Ellis, gave up his burial plot for him. With Duane Ellis now diagnosed with cancer, McCombs’s mother, Victoria Ellis, has made it her mission to pay for her father’s new plot and honor her son’s memory by winning the Face of Horror Competition.

Face of Horror is a nationwide competition for horror enthusiasts who submit their photos decked out in scary costumes and makeup. Voters then choose who will make it to the next round of each competition.

The last person standing receives a $13,000 prize, a photo shoot with actor Kane Hodder, who portrayed Jason Vorhees in several “Friday the 13th” films, and a feature in Rue Morgue Magazine.

“I entered the contest last year for my son, who loves horror,” said Ellis. “I placed fifth nationwide, which is really good, and so this year, I’m really hoping to win it for my son.”

While a photo shoot with the iconic horror actor and a magazine feature are exciting for Ellis, she is most focused on the $13,000 prize. Hoping to win the money “mainly for her dad,” Ellis wants to use the prize for his new burial plot.

Ellis has confidence in her chances in this year’s competition, as the “whole community came together for Declan” when he was sick, so she is certain they will support her again.

Apart from support in Wheeling, Ellis explained that the “tight-knit” horror community has also helped her family through their hardships.

She explained that while doing makeup and costumes for actors at the Infernum In Terra Haunted Attraction, her coworker Sean Frazier convinced her to try the competition for the first time.

She added that Frazier and another coworker, Scott Hemphill, “got the ball rolling” on arranging the actors who play Freddy Kreuger and Jason Vorhees to meet her son while he was in the hospital receiving cancer treatments.

“Seeing the real Freddy and Jason come together for him was incredible,” said Ellis. “Jason would FaceTime my son all the time at the hospital, and it’s really cool that they take the time out of their day to do that.”

Seeing her son “perk up” at the sight of the characters was touching for Ellis, who became choked up when recalling how he was “motionless in bed” until they entered the door.

“My family has always been really into horror, but my son back then just loved it,” said Ellis. “Those were his heroes that kept him alive.”

Instead of Captain America’s shield or Thor’s hammer, Ellis explained that McComb’s favorite toys were his Jason mask and Freddy Kreuger gloves. After receiving a $2,000 grant from Make a Wish, Ellis recalled that McCombs’s last words were “packages,” as he had been waiting to receive a new Jason figurine.

Ellis noted that her son “was in scary costumes every day.” She added that one of her favorite memories with her son was him immediately “running up and hugging” the horror characters at his birthday party while “all the other kids ran away.”

On why he didn’t look up to the typical superhero and was instead drawn to horror, Ellis believes that the characters gave him “an excitement and thrill” while he was “stuck in the hospital.”

“He also knew that they weren’t real, which is another big reason he liked them too,” she joked.

The mother and son bonded over horror as well, with Ellis adding that she also has a “deep love” for the genre and finds dressing up as the characters “cathartic and relaxing.” She added that her volunteer work at the haunted house is completely for her own enjoyment, not “any paycheck.”

“I’m not very emotional, but I even cried when I met Pinhead’s actor,” added Ellis. “It’s Halloween 24/7 at my house, and Declan loved it.”

Ellis reiterated that though she is not an “emotional person,” through her son’s battle with cancer and now her father’s, she has been “touched deeply” by both the support of the horror community and the Wheeling community.

She added that apart from using the competition to cheer her up, she has been sharing her story with many local grieving parent groups to help others cope with the loss of their children.

“There were so many parades for Declan here where the whole street would be shut down, it was amazing,” said Ellis. “If I win this competition, it’s all because of the community’s support.”

Ellis added that she feels like she is getting a “thumbs up” from the community through them helping her in the competition last year and now. This gesture is important to her as she and her son exchanged it often to keep him motivated through treatments.

Voters get to cast one free vote every day for Ellis at the website faceofhorror.org/2023/victoria-ellis using their Facebook login to verify their identity. Another way to cast votes is through entering one’s credit card information and getting charged a dollar in exchange for two votes. One can continue to pay money to cast more than one or two votes, as one vote equals one dollar beyond the daily free vote.