In our previous spooky report, we looked at some of the haunted houses of Woodhaven, finishing up with a look at the spectacularly decorated haunted house on 91st Street. In this report, we revisit that house on Halloween. The sign out front advised everyone that the festivities began at 5:30.
But before that, we spoke with the owner and mastermind behind the display. His name is Charles and he describes himself as a frustrated performer and that this is his outlet. And what a terrific outlet it is!
There's so much to see, and depending on what angle you're looking from you are likely to see something you hadn't noticed before. The two skeletons on the ladder were a favorite of mine (they're gracing the front page of Project Woodhaven right now) and it turns out that Charles had a name for them -- Stairway to Heaven! We came back as it began to get a little darker and as 5:30 approached. When we arrived, we saw that a crowd was already waiting. Here is our video report on the festivities. Please take note that this video marks the introduction of Project Woodhaven's Sky-Cam -- camera shots high above street level :-)
As you can see in the video, the event was well attended and well received. It rained a little but that didn't discourage the folks that were waiting. Some of the little ones got a bit scared, while others were getting sleepy. But all of them were having a wonderful time. And, of course, they all liked getting candy! There was a robust crowd at 5:30 and it seemed to grow. Charles and his family have been doing this in Woodhaven for 15 years, meaning it's officially a tradition! People love this event -- if you haven't seen this house, you have another week or so before it comes down. One-by-one they made their way into the haunted house, and they all came out with smiles and a gift of candy. This is a terrific example of folks doing something special for the community. The crowds stuck around into the evening. We went out to dinner and when we came back around 8:30 there was still a line! I have no idea how many people came by but it had to be in the hundreds, easily.
On the street, in the evening, it took on a party atmosphere -- and many of the spectators came to watch each other as much as they came for the show. The spectacle of each other, if you will.
Here's the zombie near the exit that scared more than a few folks. They have a few lived-sized dummies at the start of the tour, so when you get to the end and this guy makes a move for you, it's scary!
Fun stuff, and many thanks to this family for all that they do to contribute to the community spirit! We've got one more Halloween story coming, in the next day or so -- and then we turn our attention to Christmas :-)
If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com.
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