For some, Halloween is the one day of the year that you can act, dress and be whoever (or whatever) you chose without judgment. For others, though, Halloween is celebrated throughout the entire month of October and takes weeks of pre-planning. Here’s a list of the top five locations around the country that wholeheartedly embrace the spirit of the Autumn holiday with over the top Halloween decorations.
Hang For An Eternity At Eternal Rest Cemetery: Venice Haunted House
Steve Ross, a Venice, CA resident loves Halloween and loves to scare people. Each year he transforms his property into the ultimate fright fest. Admission is free but is not recommended for children under 13. Visitors are encouraged to walk through the graveyard and morgue while running into some of the undead.
Check out the eery website here.
Technology Meets Terror
Not to be confused with The Bates Motel, The Bates Haunt is by far the most impressive, technically speaking. The owner and genius behind Bates doesn’t actually use any tangible decorations. Instead, he projects images in his yard and against his home that move, dance and sing to a particular song. For the tenth anniversary last year, a row of pumpkins sang “Grim Grinning Ghosts†while skeletons hung from multiple locations, the silhouettes of two people danced and an eyeball moved back and forth in the attic window of the home. Watch the projections come to life here.
Pumpkins On Pumpkins On Pumpkins
Ric Griffith with the help of volunteers, carves over 3,000 pumpkins, illuminates them and meticulously displays each one on the front of his West Virginia property every October. Pumpkins can be seen along his walkway, in his front yard, on his porch and even lining his roof. Griffith encourages people to stop by and view his magnificent pumpkin wonderland, and many do. Griffith says he does it for the local children to come see, but also to remind adults of the wonderment of childhood. View more photos on Facebook.
Overly Realistic Driveway Of Death
Oklahoma’s Johnnie Mullins is getting grief from neighbors for his potentially “too realistic†Halloween decorations featured in his driveway. He and his children stuffed clothes with pillows to resemble real humans laying in his driveway surrounded by fake blood, one with its head crushed by the garage door. One passerby actually called the police thinking the stuffed dummies were real humans. But if your house is getting double takes from everyone who drives by, you’re doing something right in my book. Check out the news story here.
Bone Basic Humor
Unlike the rest of the over the top spectacles on this list, Owen Boneman is the only Halloween decoration you’ll see in front of 442 55th Street and Sunset Park in Brooklyn. But the skeleton has taken on a personality of his own–or many personalities–that have turned him into a mini celebrity. Boneman has over 200 friends on Facebook and a following on Twitter. The residents of the apartment dress Boneman in new outfits and set him in a new position daily. Previous personas have included “Marrowlyn Boneroe†and “Fred Flintbone†while recent ones from this season have included “Owange is the New Black†and Little Orphan Annie. For those who don’t want to break the bank on decorations, get inspiration from Boneman. Friend request Boneman here.
