HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Extensive water damage at Disturbia on North Memorial Parkway has forced organizer Shane Dabbs to close the haunted Huntsville attraction this season because of public health concerns.

Substantial rain in Huntsville over the last few months has resulted in heavy water damage at the 57,000-square-foot site, which typically runs during the month of October and has had roof problems since Disturbia moved to the building from the Shoals about three years ago.

Dabbs, who said he's invested about half a million dollars in the facility since moving there, reported Monday that the walls and many of the attraction's props are contaminated with toxic black mold, which can cause serious health issues in those exposed.

"They can't be cleaned," he said. "In other words, they've got to come down to be able to get the building back to an environment where it's safe. All the interior walls have got to come out and be trashed."

Dabbs, who said he's never been in the haunted attraction business "for the money," said he won't risk the health of his customers by keeping the business open this fall.

Disturbia, which formerly operated as Graystone Manor in Killen, is looking to move to another location next season. Dabbs said larger cities that have visited the attraction in the past have shown interest in moving the destination elsewhere.

"I just don't know today," he said. "I don't know what I want to do. Obviously, if I move, I would like to move it out of town a little bit, but somewhere easily accessible to everyone. I'm literally doing this one day at a time."

Dabbs said American grocery company Albertsons owns the Disturbia building, which is located in the former Food World at the Parkway and Oakwood Avenue intersection. Albertsons is in the process of repairing the roof and water damage, Dabbs said.

"We did have issues with the people that own the building not making roof repairs," he said. "They didn't do it. They didn't address it in time and it's gotten worse."

The Haunted House Association reports there are more than 2,000 haunted attractions that charge admission fees, more than 300 amusement facilities with a Halloween or haunted house event and more than 1,000 charity attractions in the U.S.

Dabbs, who said he hopes to release more information about the haunted house's future in the next two weeks, said he's disappointed out about the facility closing for the season.

In a phone interview Monday, Dabbs recommended haunted house enthusiasts travel to other area attractions within a two-hour radius, including Atrox Factory in Leeds, Arx Mortis in Killen and Nashville Nightmare.

"At the end of the day, and I've said this millions of times in interviews, I'm more of an artist," Dabbs said. "It's never been about the money – it's been about the enjoyment and the fans. But I am not, just for a dollar, going to put the public in any kind of danger if I feel like there's an element of danger there."

Send Lucy Berry an email at lberry@al.com.