Every fall, Kristi Hemric decorates the front porch of her Manhattan Brownstone with skulls, pumpkins or autumn leaves. Across the country, in Los Angeles, Glenn Geller and his husband Jim Maresca display over 250 glowing pumpkins on their lawn.
In San Diego, Joshua Schauert is transforming his garden into a free haunted house and maze that has become so popular that it attracts visitors from Europe. In New Orleans last year, David and Jessica Gentry hired security guards to corral visitors who flocked to their yard to watch their animatronic skeletons perform song-and-dance numbers.
This may all sound like a lot of effort for a holiday that doesn't amount to a nationwide day off. But for Halloween superfans, decorating isn't just about the spectacle — it's about bringing spooky joy to their neighborhood.
“I met so many people and neighbors that I would never have met otherwise,” Mr. Schauert said.
Not everyone will build a maze. But with a few tips, your porch, porch, or lawn can look a lot nicer (or scarier).
Start early and get help.
For Mr. Schauert, Halloween usually begins in April, when he begins nailing together the wooden planks that will make up the walls of the haunted maze that surrounds his house. It used to be a lonely task.
“I felt guilty asking people for help,” he said. But as he struggled, anchoring 12-foot skeletons and draping fake spider webs over tree branches, neighbors noticed and started helping.
For Mr. Geller and Mr. Maresca, the challenge isn't so much putting up their display as it is getting their collection of plastic pumpkins out of the attic. Luckily, they have friends willing to climb up and down two flights of stairs to help.
Making the setup itself an activity is one way to build anticipation for the main event. Or you can try encouraging celebration through neighborhood games. Mr. Schauert organizes neighborhood “scavenger hunts” and hides “ghost boxes” filled with goods donated by local businesses.
Stick with a scary theme.
Committing to one concept creates a more cohesive look than scattering scarecrows and skulls around your yard. Too many things make for a disjointed landscape, while a unified scene, perhaps inspired by a favorite movie, is intentionally off-putting. For those in doubt, Mr. Geller suggests something as simple as gravestones illuminated with a black light.
“The more you can repeat the same thing,” Mr. Geller said, “the more effective it will be.”
Last year, Ms. Hemric went for orange and filled her porch with pumpkins and faux fall leaves. This year, she plans to debut a more minimalist design decorated with skeletons and an all-black color palette.
And while it can be fun to change things up, don't be afraid to reuse last year's decorations.
Strengthen yourself a lot – or a little.
Mr. Geller uses 300 extension cords to power the estimated 100,000 lights in his exhibit, but he admits that it was his husband who worked with an electrician to set up multiple outlet banks throughout the garden with their own circuit breakers to prevent outages. (If you plan to set up lights, this Wirecutter-recommended extension cord is weatherproof.)
If you're not interested in running up your electric bill, a few well-placed floodlights can provide an eerie glow.
Beware of tricks.
October means bad luck, so be careful when decorating, especially if you have expensive or particularly sentimental decorations. Mr. Gentry, who has a wrought iron fence surrounding his property, keeps most of his decorations behind it but adds chains and skulls to the fence itself, making the protective element part of the design. And keep any visible decorations high up – the harder they are to grab, the less likely someone will grab them.
Keep the scares family friendly.
One person's funny terror can be another person's sleep-depriving nightmare. Mr. Schauert's goal is to make his haunted house “scary, but not scary.”
“I want it to be accessible to everyone,” he said.
He hands out glow sticks to light the way through the spooky bones and fog in his garden. If you're welcoming trick-or-treaters (not horror fans from far and wide), consider lining your sidewalk with something a little friendlier, like jack-o-lanterns.
Don't be a scary bad neighbor.
Not everyone is a Halloween person and not everyone wants hordes of visitors on their block. If you're going all out with a crowd-pleaser, share your plans with your neighbors. And turn things off at a reasonable time: Mr. Geller turns off his display at 10 p.m. and the Gentrys only light their yard for a few hours in the evening. (Due to road construction, the Gentrys will be making fewer decorations this year.)
Design your storage solutions with in mind.
If you don't have enough storage options, consider decorations that can be stored away. Inflatable boats are an easy to store design option for a garden. Keep in mind that once they are set up, you may want to leave them running all day. A deflated decoration is quite depressing.
Paper decorations — like these from Meri Meri, which Wirecutter recommends in its Halloween decor guide — can be stored under furniture like a bed or sofa when not in use.
Some smart LED string lights can be programmed to display different colors, such as: B. Orange or purple for Halloween and red and green for Christmas. Leaving them hanging throughout the holiday season can also reduce your decorating efforts.
Of course, for some, putting in the effort for each vacation is a joy. Ms. Hemric, for example, begins decorating for Thanksgiving the day after Halloween.
“So you always have something to look forward to.” she said.