Hilarie Burton Says Her Middle School Haunted House DIY Is Her ‘Crowning Achievement’: ‘I Don’t Care About TV' (Exclusive)

The actress tells PEOPLE about the haunted house she created at her son Gus' middle school

<p>Hilarie Burton/Instagram</p> Hilarie Burton and children Gus and George

Hilarie Burton/Instagram

Hilarie Burton and children Gus and George

Hilarie Burton takes her Halloween plans extremely seriously.

While recently chatting with PEOPLE, the One Tree Hill alum, 42, joked that her biggest achievement has nothing to do with her work on television or her recent book release. Rather, Burton prides herself on being the "haunted house lady" in her town.

While discussing her 2024 Halloween plans with her son Augustus "Gus," 14, and daughter George, 6, whom she shares with husband Jeffrey Dean Morgan, 58, the actress thought back to the way she spent the holiday last year. "My favorite thing we've ever done is I got involved with my kid's school," she tells PEOPLE.

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"There really wasn't a town Halloween celebration," she explains, "and so last year I put together a haunted house at my son's middle school. Every parent brought a 10 x 10 pop-up tent and we put them all together to make a whole house of rooms."

"It was bananas!" Burton exclaims. "It's probably my crowning achievement."

"I don't care about television, I don't care about the books. If I can be the haunted house lady in my town, I did it," she jokes, adding, "This year I have to make it bigger than last year. It's a lot of pressure."

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<p>Hilarie Burton Morgan/Instagram</p> Hilarie Burton Morgan, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Family

Hilarie Burton Morgan/Instagram

Hilarie Burton Morgan, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Family

As for how long the haunted house took to create, the proud mom says, "We got into the school on Friday, decorated all Friday night, all day Saturday, and then Sunday was go time."

"I love scaring middle schoolers. That's so fun," she adds with a laugh.

Aside from making a bigger and better haunted house for Gus, Burton says that this year she's planning on wearing an adorable mother-daughter costume with George.

"George has changed her mind so many times about what she wants to be for Halloween," she admits, but one costume idea stuck. "She wanted to be Barbie because she loved the Barbie movie, and I loved watching it with her. And so I got the inflatable Barbie car to wear walking behind her while she's in her little rhinestone cowgirl outfit."

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