Haunter’s rivalry

[DeathTouch]

How many of you have a certain haunter’s rivalry with your neighbors? I do! I have two neighbors that I go toe-to-toe each year on Halloween decorations. One of my neighbor’s lives down the block from me actually has some cool stuff in this yard. Problem is he never wants to talk to me at all, and is really snobbish when ever my wife brings up Halloween. MY wife talks to them a lot but she notices that they are really weird when she brings up Halloween or what I am doing this year or them. She seems to think it is pretty funny.

My other neighbor I do a lot of recon work on. He lives on the other side of Lombard, and I think he actually does the Lombard local Jaycees Haunted house. But I am not sure. But every year, just before Halloween he puts some really cool stuff out in his yard. I found myself going over there and taking a few pictures to compare. Yes, I am jealous, but one day he will be doing recon work on my house. LOL. The pictures below are of the 2nd house before he was done with his setup. You will notice all this extra crap he has in the hearse.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y260/lovermonkey/Halloween/DSC01777.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y260/lovermonkey/Halloween/DSC01774.jpg

[Zombie-F]

I don't have any haunter neighbors. The closest one to me I can think of is about 8 - 10 miles away, and I'm pretty sure they're unaware of me.

[grapegrl]

No other haunters here in my town, either. Of course, you can't even see my nearest neighbours from here...

[ScareFX]

I wish my neighbors would do more. They seem content to let our house be the "Halloween House". <sigh>

[BuriedAlive]

I've got a monopoly on yard haunts. I'm not aware of anybody in a 10 mile radius that does what I do. There are those homes that do the inflatables. Last year a local paper did a story on a guy one town over that decorated his yard with inflatables. I remember reading he said it took him four hours to decorate. Four hours? To blow up some pumpkins and Garfield characters? It takes me 2 days to set up.
As for your neighbor being secretive, he may just feel threatened. Halloween may be his gig, something that has always defined him. With you being a competitor, he may feel less the high man on the totem pole. There's my psyche 101 for ya.

[jdubbya]

I wish my neighbors would do more. They seem content to let our house be the "Halloween House". <sigh>

Same here. There is, however, another family two blocks down from us who are really getting into it. Their son and mine go to school together and for a couple years they would trick or treat together so the parents got to see our display. I got them the plans for the cemetery fence and columns. They have made a great graveyard scene in the front yard and keep adding to it every year. There is also a guy in our Scout Troop who lives down a block from us and they are starting to get into it more and more each year. By in large though, other than a carved pumpkin and maybe one of those Halloween flags, no one on our street does too much.:(

[trishaanne]

TWO HOURS to set up???? I start at the beginning of October! Anyway, there are no haunters around here either, although a few have decorated a little more since we moved in to the neighborhood 5 years ago. There are the inflatable pumpkins and ghosts and stuff but for the most part, we're it. There is one house down the street that has been asking for some ideas from me. Their daughter has been too afraid to come to our house for the past few years. Last year I took her around the yard in the day time to see what everything looked like, although we all know that at night, with the lights and fog, it looks completely different. She still wouldnt come in the yard at night, but she has told her mom that she wants a spooky house too. Her mom went out and bought her a few of those plastic tombstones to help break her in slowly. I made her a tombstone with an angel on it, nothing too spooky at all, but something different for her to have. And this year, if she gets brave enough, she can help me set up the yard, even if it's just to hang spider webs or something. I like to extend an open invitation to all the neighborhood kids that want to help...it gets them involved and keeps them busy. On the upside, I'm hoping they really get into it enough that in a few years, I can recruit them as actors....MUWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

[TearyThunder]

I have a neighbor across the street who does a good bit of decorating (her Christmas display is awesome though.) Most of the others add a JOL, flags, autum garland etc. So far from what I can tell is I am the one who does the most in the entire city! I have grown a good bit this year too. I know I'm going to be running over into the neighbor's yard.

[slimy]

More and more are doing something on my street. No homemade props yet,just groundbreakers, lighted signs, and yes, those inflatables.

As for nieghbors decorating, Gypsichic lives less than a mile from me. We weren't aware of each other until we met on this board. My point is, there are others out there - sometimes you have to look to find them.

[Hellrazor]

I have a neighbor across the street. He started it for me. Decorated to the hilt, had scare actors... so the next year I made some crappy tombstones out of plywood (no pics of that year) then I discovered Halloween on the internet...
The next year (2 years ago now) I made tombstones out of styro and my neighbors started getting into it a little more....Last year I made my reaper and casket, but my across the street neighbors did less, they have been having back problems and such. I would love to help them set up but they have 2 very healthy older children at home and I dont feel its my place to help them (even though I yearn to) when their kids should pitch in.

I showed him my witches cauldron this year and his eyes lit up. He said he wished he could build some stuff, but with his back... He said that its becasue of us the street decorates... I think it was them. He sparked my interest....I dont know if I would be this involved if I hadnt moved to this street and met them... Its my secret competition...

I have heard of a guy that is about 3 streets from me and does a great display, saw pics on the net. But no time to go see it as he is also a halloween setter upper. I dont want to leave my place even for a minute.

So more and more people are showing their halloween colours... there is one prob though....
About 5 houses (around me even) dont turn on their lights and go out... the first year peeps would actually cross the road and not go to my place.... :( that made me sooo sad.

I also think the peeps who lived here before me were weirdos though, for many reasons, and think that the kids had to warm up to "nice" peeps in this house...

Wow this is long for a quick reply eh... LOL

[Hellrazor]

PS: I love that horse and carriage DT. Do you have other pics of the finished product?

I agree with Buried alive - he may feel threatened by you too and some people dont take well to competition. He may also feel superior or inferior to you and doesnt want to share secrets... who knows...

[Dr Morbius]

I have two neighbors that live on the same st as me..both go all out..real nice folks..I plan on talking to them more this year.

[BroomChick]

I have a neighbor one block away that I compete with. It wasn't my intent to do so but they really irritated me one year when I was a little late getting our haunt set up. We don't ever see them until mid-September when they start walking their dog by our house. Last year, I was outside just getting started, when the wife came over to tell me that it was official...they were bigger Halloween fans that we were because they had more stuff. At first I didn't really care but after I noticed them walking by each day with smug looks....I had to BEAT THEM! ....and I always do.

[DeathTouch]

PS: I love that horse and carriage DT. Do you have other pics of the finished product?

I agree with Buried alive - he may feel threatened by you too and some people dont take well to competition. He may also feel superior or inferior to you and doesnt want to share secrets... who knows...

Let me look when I get home. I might have a nigth photo of it. I don't remember if I went back last year.

[DeathTouch]

Oh, I almost forgot. The neighbor that is a few block away from me was telling me last year that if I wanted his King's chair that I could have them. He has these three chairs, more like benches, that seats three skeleton kings. One is the king of hearts, Diamonds, etc. I thought about but I have no clue where I would put it. Maybe he is warming up to me. But then his wife was saying that she thought I bought my FCG because she saw one just like it at a store. Which really burned my butt because I made it. I told her, "No way I made that with my own two hands. I didn't buy it at a store." Her eyes lit up and that was the last word either one said to me.

[HibLaGrande]

no real rivals around here, a few year ago we had a science teacher that had an unfreakingbelievable display. His display inspired me to start down my haunting path. He gave his students extra credit for helping out in the yard haunt. it was the coolest display I have seen so far. too bad he moved the year I put mine up for the first time. :D

[slightlymad]

I dont actuallt know if i have any comp it takes all day to set up and make last minutes adjustments/additions. That is with the whole family involved.
Keep in mind everything goes up comes down holloween.

[Frighteners Entertainment]

I got nothing here either, 'cept pro Haunts and from what I've heard...they SUCK.

[Spooklights]

I'm the only one in my neighborhood that decorates for Halloween, too. I wouldn't mind a little competition; it keeps you creative!

[IshWitch]

I have a neighbor one block away that I compete with. It wasn't my intent to do so but they really irritated me one year when I was a little late getting our haunt set up. We don't ever see them until mid-September when they start walking their dog by our house. Last year, I was outside just getting started, when the wife came over to tell me that it was official...they were bigger Halloween fans that we were because they had more stuff. At first I didn't really care but after I noticed them walking by each day with smug looks....I had to BEAT THEM! ....and I always do.
You go girl! They apparently needed some wind knocked out of them. Kinda rude to not even know somebody and say something like that!

I'd love it if one of my neighbors would kick it up a notch!

[IshWitch]

I dont actuallt know if i have any comp it takes all day to set up and make last minutes adjustments/additions. That is with the whole family involved.
Keep in mind everything goes up comes down holloween.
I can't believe you do that! So much work! Are you in a high crime neighborhood? Or is it for the magic? Suddenly appearing and then it is gone?

I like to start putting up stuff the beginning of October and keep adding. This year I'm debating whether to have my party on the 21st or 28th. I like the thought of having it later because I could have all of my decorations up, but there are so many things going on that I like the earlier date so that it pushes me to get stuff done so that I can sit back and enjoy them for more than a couple of days before taking them down.

[gmacted]

I have a simple yard haunt, but another person in my town has a Haunted Mansion (http://www.curryaudio.com/thehauntedmansiondouglas.html). He puts up a large tent (20' x 40') behind his house and makes walls and rooms from plywood. The whole thing is about as large as his house. The first year he put it up, he started in April. He takes it down early in November before the snow falls. This year he started to put it up in mid-July. The whole thing is unbelievable. You can view pictures and videos under the "Portfolio" link on his web site (see above). The admission to get in is a can of food which he donates to charity. He opens for several weekends during the month of October and the turnout is unbelievable. I obviously can't compete with this as he puts lot of time and money into his haunt. I still think it's great!

[GraveStalker]

I think it's great that you have so many displays in one area. It will help attract more people and bring out everyone's "A" game. I wish my whole town would decorate. I don't care if I have the best display or not.

[Mr Unpleasant]

I don't really have anyone competing with me, but I do feel that people in my neighborhood have put more out since I started going at it. I did meet another home haunter on Halloween Forum a few months ago that lives only about 5 miles or less away from me. We met at a local sports and had some beers while discussing future plans and methods of madness.

[bodybagged]

Well this will be our first Halloween in this house, let alone city. We have no major plans for this year's season so Bodybagging has decided we are gonna have the SCARIEST house in the neighborhood. With his capabilities, I can only imagine the knocks on the doors, from the city, telling us that our decorations are way too graphic to be displayed. Either that or they will want us to do a haunt for the city next year. lol.
On the plus side, the neighbors will finally know why we carried in sooo many dead bodies when me moved in. lol.

[otherworldly]

I see it spreading, but so far fairly small scale. One house a few blocks over last year had quite a few homemade things - all small though. (and they made the paper...muttermutter....no, I'm not bitter about that, not at all...:zombie:)

[Da Weiner]

In my town a lot of neighbors decorate but not to the extent that I do. They put up flags, tombstones, various window decorations, etc. I just have a front yard haunt and also decorate the inside of my house. It takes me from Oct 1st to 31st to finish because I don't put out a lot of my stuff until Halloween day. We are planning to decorate the driveway to extend it. A lot of neighbors that walk their dogs passed my house actually get excited because they know I pull out all the stops and they can't wait to see the finished product on Halloween day. The only competition that I have is the cemetary right across my street but they just have the same ole thing every year. My neighbors already know I'm a "Halloween nut", so no competition for me - I think they leave it up to me which is fine. But yes, I would like to "feed" off other neighbors's ideas but right know I "feed" off all of you!

[Lilly]

:jol: Same here. I found out this week someone else in the next town 8 miles from me (dont know where yet, but i will find out) does it up for halloween and I have seen some peeps with lights and store bought signs and such a couple blocks from here but thats about it .
I live across the street from the main catholic church here and on a highway so iim guessing almost the whole town has seen mine.
My frontyard graveyard is up the beginnng of Oct. and adding to that till party time.
We have a big adult only party every yr so this time includes food prep and set up( 1 day shopping 2 days prep and cook)
I have had my lights in our rec room up since after xmas. I do what i can all yr since I set up 6 areas and then It takes me about 2 weeks , the first week i am still working..ugh... but i take my vacation the second week and do the rest of the rooms or finishing touches and then its fun fun fun.

[sarahtlee]

Our neighborhood is boring, most people only put out a pumpkin or two. We have a townhouse so we dont have a lot of space out front but I must say that I think we do a pretty good job with the little space we have. I wish we would have some competition though, it would liven things up a bit more, and make the neighborhood more fun

[mrklaw]

there is a guy that lives a block and a half from me that has a few spectacular decorations. He has a witch that flies around his house on the end of a pole driven by an ice cream maker motor, he has wooden gravestones with day-glo painted epitaphs, and a couple of static props that look like the wolfman and classic creatures like that.

[Johnny Thunder]

I am also in a townhouse and space is really limited. Our first Halloween here, we decorated, and go all out for TOT with costumes, music, decorations, etc. and the kids loved it. We were one of maybe 3 houses on our block that were giving out candy. The next year I noticed that a more houses started giving out candy, and one neighbor put out a ton of decorations. She's a Halloween freak too so it's cool, no competition, although a few other neighbors make comments about how we are trying to outdo each other. Competition in everyone else's heads, not mine. Then again, most of the houses here put out a ghost or a pumpkin and think they're 'wild' so....

[Fright Yard]

I'm the only one that I know of in the entire county down here. I have to convince my neighbors to hand out candy!!! Im determined to make this a halloween neighborhood though. I live in one of those areas that is considered the rich area (not me I just lucked out on a good deal on a house!) so a lot of people drop their kids off here since we have street lights and its a pretty safe area since most of us are cops, ems, doctors or fire..lol. Anyway the only other person I heard of down here is like 25 miles away, my competition for the party city contest this year, MUHAHAHHAHAHAHAAH, I will win IT!!!

[Fright Yard]

I have a simple yard haunt, but another person in my town has a Haunted Mansion (http://www.curryaudio.com/thehauntedmansiondouglas.html).

Man that is AWESOME!!! And why isnt he a member here!!!!!
I LOVE the sounds on his webpage!!!

[Fright Yard]

This is my second year here in NC, last year was a rush to decorate and i didnt have much time to build since we bought the house that summer, Well are they in for a TREAT this year!!!!!Ive been working all year on my free time and I have two really dedicated helpers now and I just got anothe note from a guy who wants to know how to make the tombstones that I did and the effects,, muhahahaha the disease is spreading.
Its 2006 wait till they get a load of me!!

[Fright Yard]

oh yeah i sent mike curry a email to join the club!! lets hope he takes it!!!

[Fright Yard]

Hmm did we kill this thread?

[gmacted]

Man that is AWESOME!!! And why isnt he a member here!!!!!
I LOVE the sounds on his webpage!!!

I've spoken to him, but never even thought of asking if he was a member of any forums.

[kevin242]

We have a neighbor who we call "Mr. Picket-Fence Man" who lives down the street (and decorates his yard with all store-bought stuff). Our first year, some of our patrons suggested that he had a better haunt than us... that was it, it was on. What went from being a small graveyard display turned into the crippling obsession it is today. No one says Mr. Picket-Fence Man has a better display anymore...

[Merlin (The Quiet One)]

No one close to us decorates much so no friendly competition.

[Fright Yard]

hmmm i sent him a email, he hasnt replies yet, Im trying to see if he will send me the sound he uses in his webpage,

[Vlad]

Rivalry? The only person I'm really in competition with is me, and what I did last year. Our next door neighbors used to put on a one room show in their driveway, but it was all about gore and terrifying the littlest kids. Every year we were getting more and more TOTers, and they were getting less. They've more or less given up, and set up the small one room display, but have really toned it down. The kids in the house on the other side tried to start up haunting, but their parents didn't give a damn, and the kids gave up. There was also someone who lived two blocks up who worked in NYC in theatrics. All very high tech foggers and lighting. After a few years though, there were as many people saying that our house was as good or better because of the homemade nature and attention to detail, they've since moved away, shame, I did like giving them a run for their store bought money, lol. Then there is the guy two blocks down, who two years ago went from minor decorating to making his own groundbreakers, and setting up a carport as a one room walkthrough. He uses family actors, and the gore theme is pretty heavy there also. People have commented that they prefer our non-gore style better, kids and adults. This guy stopped in last year while we were setting up the castle and graveyard. It was our castles first appearance, and I think he was kind of set back on his heels, lol. I invited him to join the forums, but never heard another word from him. I think he has his sights set on us, lol. There is also another haunt about a mile away that is a one car garage haunt with nothing more than blood splatterd sheet walls, and screaming actors. They make the paper every year. More power to them. I ask people to NOT call the papers when they say they want to, we're pretty much up to maximum capacity as far as patrons go, maybe this years new improved crowd control will do the trick with that problem.

[Torgen]

The two little girls next door got so excited last year, wanting to help, and they're already bouncing up and down wanting to help this year. I think that they've finally convinced their dad to decorate for Halloween. :)

There's two people down the street that decorated last year, and I think they felt "sandbagged" when my garage door flew open Halloween afternoon and all that stuff came pouring out! One guy dressed as a wizard (looked like a D&D cosplay outfit) and came down to talk a bit. I was working my ass off to finish up and had sweat pouring off of me, so probably came off as a little stand-offish (that, and I wasn't wearing my hearind aids so couldn't tell exactly what he was talking about.)

Last year the neighbors gathered with the kids and asked me where I got the stuff. When I told them it was all hand-made, their jaws dropped! I'm sure I'll get some traffic this year. :)

[ShadyHallows]

I have one guy that lives straight down the street from me, he got me intrested when I was about 5 lol. He doesn't have anything really to scary but he does an awsome job putting together/setting up what he has. Sad thing is I have the best haunt in st.cloud.:xbones:

[jdubbya]

Our next door neighbors used to put on a one room show in their driveway, but it was all about gore and terrifying the littlest kids. Every year we were getting more and more TOTers, and they were getting less. They've more or less given up, and set up the small one room display, but have really toned it down. Then there is the guy two blocks down, who two years ago went from minor decorating to making his own groundbreakers, and setting up a carport as a one room walkthrough. He uses family actors, and the gore theme is pretty heavy there also. People have commented that they prefer our non-gore style better, kids and adults. There is also another haunt about a mile away that is a one car garage haunt with nothing more than blood splatterd sheet walls, and screaming actors. They make the paper every year.

I think the gore thing turns a lot of people off, specifically families with younger kids. Even teens seem bored with it. You can have a great display w/o "Disneyfying" it and the details create the interest/fascination. I've all but eliminated gore from my set up, and it's working well as numbers go up every year. Never had a lot of it but the favorable comments from parents say it all.

[wormyt]

Same with me on the gore here, as I do not have that in my haunt. I work at the Elementary school and I am well known around here. I figure if the older kids/teens seem to think mine is lame well then they can learn to decorate there on gorey haunt elsewhere. Im up to like 300 plus kids now and Im the only one in my neighborhood who does this. Everyone else just comes to my house to help volunteer or just hang out and have fun. Last year my neighbor right next door said she baught all this candy, lots!!!! Then came over and was laughing at how the kids were bypassing her home to come here. LOL But when you turn onto my street its sorta nakid down there as folks dont decorate except maybe pumpkins and a few things, so luckily because my house is also a bud stop and I have teachers and principles who live back here...they are my word of mouth anouncers. LOL So I get alot of school kids because of them spreading the news. LOL

[Sweeney Family Horror]

I wish. My whole haunting obsession came from a single street in my old hometown. Every house on the street was a haunt. Elaborate ones, too. I keep hoping some of my neighbors will get into the act. They seem content to tolerate ours.