Saturday, October 31, 2020 - Over-the-Top Halloween Homes

I am back! FINALLY! Almost forgot how to write this blog but am very glad to be back. The nine dancing ghosts are in front of a house I passed during my daily walk. It was an unusually joyful celebration of Halloween.

I usually have a Halloween party every year but did not this year. I did two Halloweeny things. I bought a giant jar of individually wrapped tiny bat-shaped pretzels like I do every year. I like to give these out because they’re not sweet like all the candy. And I do like them myself. I waited on Halloween night, but no trick or treaters. Guess I’ll have to eat all the pretzels myself.

The other thing I did was participate in a Zoom tarot card reading. The host was dressed like a fortune teller and had swirly lights on her ceiling. Other participants wore feathery masks or witch hats —one even lit up. The readings were surprisingly true and very close to real life for many of the participants. It was a very fun evening.

According to Sharon Mikki Chan’s October 2, 2019, article for HGTV “The Most Over-the-Top Decorated Homes for Halloween,” below are a few examples.

IT’s Scary Fun

Is there anything scarier than a creepy clown? Yes, a gazebo full of creepy clowns! The Forestridge Haunted Yard in Coquitlam, British Columbia, features a crowd of giggling, ghoulish clowns as part of a home display in support of Variety – The Children’s Charity.

Halloween Night Lights

When night falls, the Forestridge Haunted Yard lights up with ghosts, goblins and other eerie characters from roof to sidewalk.

Jaw-Dropping Fun

When ghoulish themes meet artistic décor, the result is monstrously charming. The annual Anmore Manor Haunted House in Anmore, British Columbia, uses enchantingly realistic decorations and creatures to transform a home into a walkthrough haunt experience — with donations welcome in support of the local Share Society.

Creepy From the Ground Up

The illusion of zombies or other worldly creatures crawling out of the grave (or the front yard) adds hair-raising fun to an over-the-top Halloween display.

Walking Wicked

RIP, ho-hum Halloween décor. This unreal display from The Halloween House of RVC takes undead inspiration to the next level with zombies, tombstones, and a total terrifying tableau.

A Spirited Light Show

Are you afraid of the dark? Don’t be! At night, The Halloween House of RVC comes even more to life with a mix of colorful lights enhancing the spooky atmosphere.

Spooky Sidewalks

Who says you need to limit your Halloween spirit to your front door? Gardens, driveways and sidewalks are the perfect canvas for over-decorating in honor of Halloween. The bigger, the better.

Inflatable Apparitions

Go big and go haunt. Inflatable light-up ghosts make a hauntingly big impact at the door, especially when combined with other illuminated elements.

No Bones About It

Another way to make light of classic macabre figures? Add some decorative skeletons to your front yard display for a boo-tiful effect.

Scary Stylish

Dramatic decorations don’t always have to be big and bright — or outside. The trick to seriously stylish spooks? Treat your home to Halloween-themed details that match and enhance your year-round décor, like white skulls and cobwebs covering your neutral-hued space.

Illuminate and Enchant

Another sophisticated spin on over-the-top, this house gets in the festive spirit with strings of hanging pumpkin-tone lights making a big impact for trick-or-treaters and passersby alike.

Next-Level Pumpkins

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with turning to pumpkins to decorate your home for Halloween — especially if you make them extra ghastly.

Smoke Show

… or otherworldly, like this creative spin on the classic jack-o’-lantern.

A Play on the Pumpkin Patch

A few jack-o’-lanterns look cool, but hundreds of glowing pumpkin faces make any space look absolutely eerie.

The Power of Pumpkins

Of course, if you want to be totally over-the-top, you don’t even have to get out your carving knife — a massive quantity of pumpkins adds a hocus-pocus feel, too.