This year we were a bit under the weather. We’ve been getting some immunizations and they have just knocked us out! Who knew going away could hurt so much?
But the weather in the week leading up to Halloween was full of rain and windstorms, so our display took a bit of a hit. But the funny thing is, the couple of new things we did really hit it big with people. We got more compliments this year than ever.
A big part of that was Pam’s costume. She did a nasty witch, and I tell you, she terrified the kiddies! Her ghoul in previous years was scary, but kids kinda know that a ghoul is “fake”… but a witch!? They’ve read Hansel and Gretel, and seen enough Disney movies to know that witches can’t be trusted!
I apologize all over the place for the pictures and video. I was so wiped out by getting the display up, I had time for one quick pass then needed a nap!
Hope you all had a nice evening and scared lots of kids!
Halloween was a buncha fun this year! We did our usual display, with some different touches this year. We did a grave yard, with lots of extras. We lined one side of our walkway with blow ups, so people were kind of funneled in towards Pam in her ghoul outfit, with smoke billowing out at them.
It was really quite cute to see the kids come bravely strutting up, then slamming on the brakes and backing up a few paces when the smoke comes wafting out from under the table Pam uses to keep the candy bowls on…
I’ve got a movie of one little girl who needed to be quite convinced by her dad to continue on. I do apologize for how dark they are; I thought they were coming out very nicely, but no, they are quite dark.
The movie is about five minutes long – maybe too long to watch. But hey, if you’ve got some time, it does really give you a sense of how hectic things can get for Pam. Even though it is a bit dark, you can see some kids react when I give them a “Happy Halloween” shout-out!
We had a couple of “body-less” heads on poles on the opposite side of the walkway from the blowups. I stood in completely black clothes, hidden behind a rather ghoulish mask. The mask was so creepy, one woman said, “Love your display, but that one – (pointing at me, standing still, completely quiet) is just creepy!” I’d let them go get their candy, then as they walked away, I’d shout at them, “HAPPY HALLOWEEN!” and people would just freak! The lady mentioned above, shouted, “OMG you’re alive!”
Sometimes after I shouted, the kids would start running and not stop for a long time! One young lad took off like a shot, and his father was laughing so hard, he could barely stand up! We got lots of thank yous, and compliments… One fellow said, “No matter what anyone else does, we can always count on you to give us a scare!”
We had 228 bags of candy, and we ran out by 8:15 PM. That’s earlier than most years. I think it might have to do with us having the display up for quite a few days before Halloween. But also the weather was really terrific – nice and warm, with no rain and next to no wind.
It was a really fun evening – and the kids and parents were having so much fun. I’m sure Pam’s picture is on Facebook a thousand times! You wouldn’t believe how often they were taking her picture. Super gratifying stuff… really really enjoyed the evening. A really BIG Thanks to all of you who came and got scared, and chatted, and laughed.
It’s been a long time since I sat down and put in a post. This year, we did a smaller Halloween display than usual. I’m still a little angry about the vandalism and thefts. The stealing of the skeleton I get… but to just kick and destroy all the tombstones I’d made was just so nonsensical. I just don’t get what prompts people to do that.
Anyway, we concentrated all the display around the driveway, and it was actually quite effective. Lots of people complimented us on the display, much more than in other years. My theory is because everything was so concentrated, it was more intense. We added one major piece and it was a zombie who “pops up” and growls, “Welcome to my graveyard.” It caught people unaware and added a little spooky experience.
One thing I did new was to put some masks we had over paint cans and put them on the candy table. I think they look darn spooky, especially in the night with the fake fog on them! (You can see them in the picture – the one on the right is pretty cool.)
One kid had to come back – his mother apologized for that! She said he wouldn’t go home til he saw it one more time. Pam told her that that was ok – anyone who liked it that much gets another chocolate bar!
If you turn the sound up when you watch the movie, you can hear Pam calling in some kids, the spooky music from the karaoke machine, and the reaction of a kid approaching Pam to get her candy.
Well, Halloween was UNREAL this year. Never dreamed there would be this many kids. It’s been twenty and thirty deep all night long. They started coming about an hour before we regularly get kids, and it has been non-stop all night long.
Honestly, we never dreamed there would be so many kids. There had to be close to 300 tonight. I’ve never seen it so packed, for so long! It’s a good thing we went and got a few “extra” candies, just in case! We ran out of practically everything.
Here are a couple of movies I took – one is quite early in the night – so you can see the display a bit better. Hope it gives you a sense of the place.
This is a game that Pam plays with all the kids… it’s a little dark, but you get the idea!
Here is a movie that I took tonight. It didn’t work out that well, but I uploaded it to youtube anyway. Somehow, I managed to get a light to emit from the camera sometime during the movie. It wasn’t on at the beginning of the movie, but somehow came on during it… I guess I better try and figure out how the heck that happened, so I can turn it on! haha Might come in handy while we’re taking underwater pictures.
The pictures aren’t that great either, but they give a sense of the place. We made some changes this year – went with a total graveyard theme. We’re not quite done, but I’ll get it all done tomorrow. Since Halloween is on Sunday, I guess that’s a good idea huh?
It’s been fun doing some things early this year. I didn’t realize how many people get a kick out of it. I think we’ve almost had more people stop and talk to us about the Halloween yard than when we do the Christmas yard!
Well Halloween has come and gone. It was pretty special this year. We were worried about the weather, since it was very windy and rained all week, and the forecast was for more of the same. But the day started sunny and warm and kept that way all day. The evening came and it was clear and no wind. So that was very cool. It’s great when the kids can come out in their costumes without having to worry about rain gear.
Mike and Fiona came out and helped with the festivities this year, too. Fiona got all done up in a witch’s outfit, and with Pam as a Ghoul, the kids had a double dose of fright! I tell you, Fiona had a great cackle, and the karaoke machine projected her voice – it was great!
One lady told us that her daughter had been calling our house “the creepy house” all week and couldn’t wait to come and get some candy from us. But when she got to the house, and saw all the strobes flashing, the creepy red eyes gleaming, the smoke and the screaming, she couldn’t even look at Pam or Fiona! Her mother had to carry her down the driveway, but no way was she going to look! Pretty cute.
It was really nice to hear so many people thank us and compliment us. We have always done something around the place, but we really did do something different for this year. The graveyard theme was a big hit, and people loved walking through the headstones and reading all the goofy inscriptions. Next year I promise to do a better job of lighting the way!
We’ve also had some talk with the next door neighbours about doing a Haunted House or something like that. It’s an intriguing idea. We’ll have to take some time to consider how to do that. We watched a show called Extreme Halloween and one guy had a haunted house in his driveway. It was cool, but he figured he spends over $5000 a year on it! We ain’t going there!
I hope you enjoy the movies! It’s a little dark, but you get a sense of the place. You can hear them cackling and the scary music going!
Here is a shorter version of the mystery of the Great Pumpkin Head. Kids got to take a sucker from the Great Pumpkin Head, but if they took the wrong one, they got eaten! Apparently the younger ones are quite crunchy. If they picked the right one, Pam and Fiona begrudgingly gave them a bag of chips or nachos for it.
Well it’s the day before Halloween. And we’ve pretty much got the yard completed now. A couple of my neighbours stopped by and had a big chuckle over some of the grave stone sayings. One that we added yesterday has the name “AL B. BACK” (say it with an Austrian Accent!) and then “Died” with four dates, with three crossed out, 1984, 1991, 2003 then 2009… (For the 4 Terminator movies!)
The ladies across the street brought their kids over and said it’s been so much fun to get up in the morning and wonder what else we’ve added today!
It’s nice to hear that people like it. Cars have been stopping and kids have been getting out too… I tell them, wait til tomorrow and the music and fog and screaming will really add ambience! haha
We still have a few skeletons to put out, and a couple of ghouls. We’ve got a string or two of lights that go around the table we’ll put out for the candy dishes. We’ve also got a skeleton that is all in pieces – we’ve put it in a suitcase, and labelled it “Bone Voyage!”
Here is a quick movie of the yard at about 4 pm this afternoon.
This year we were a bit under the weather. We’ve been getting some immunizations and they have just knocked us out! Who knew going away could hurt so much?
A big part of that was Pam’s costume. She did a nasty witch, and I tell you, she terrified the kiddies! Her ghoul in previous years was scary, but kids kinda know that a ghoul is “fake”… but a witch!? They’ve read Hansel and Gretel, and seen enough Disney movies to know that witches can’t be trusted!
