For those interested in appreciating others’ spooky creativity, many houses throughout the CSRA can be found frightening up the neighborhood for this Halloween season.
Although many locals venture to Plantation Blood to witness some haunted attractions, some families might prefer to drive around and enjoy hidden neighborhood gems while blasting a ghostly playlist.
With about 82% of households across the nation decorating for Halloween, according to a recent poll from Lombardo Homes, some decorators are known to go all out for the season in hopes of spreading holiday cheer for adults and children.
For longtime Halloween enthusiast Doug Stover, located at 890 Deercrest Circle in Evans, decorating was initially inspired by dragon-themed items due to his love of Harry Potter. However, after 10 years of decorating, the extravagant designs and displays have grown to include over seven to eight different scenes.
Delighting in every step of the pre-Halloween process, Stover said one of the most motivating aspects, which compel him to decorate annually, include helping create core family memories.
“I like watching the kids escape into something different – it’s not the normal, mundane – to see the adults and even the kids go ‘wow! This is really crazy and fun,’” he said.
Stover also said he enjoyed feeling as though his home has made much of the community build closer bonds and relationships during the Fall season.
“While setting up in the front yard, I’ve just been able to meet so many neighbors and have a real sense of community right here in our neighborhood,” he said.
Setting up to perch outdoors with his wife and meet trick-or-treaters while offering cooked hotdogs, a warm bonfire and smores, Stover said he believes adults should also make an effort to partake in holiday traditions and events to maintain individual excitement over the years.
“It’s great for the kids, but without the adults enjoying it – being able to bring it along and develop it – the fun of my kind of Halloween is going to die,” said Stover.
In addition, Stover’s wife, Melissa Stover, said decorating every year has also caused them to bond as a couple, despite the minor frustrations they occasionally face in perfecting the Halloween displays.
“We’ve definitely bonded over it and we’ve had some quite fun experiences with the children because of it,” said Melissa.
Starting preparations the very first day of October, the Stovers said they try to add a new item to their front yard everyday to excite local families and the children as they ride the school bus early in the morning.
“We have a family who changes their morning walk for the month of October so the kids can see what new thing was put out in the yard,” said Melissa. “We also make sure to keep things lit up in the morning for the kids so they can see it too as they ride the bus on the way to school.”
With their elaborate decor attracting many visitors, the Stovers are hoping to start collecting donations in the near future for a local charity, such as the Golden Harvest Food Bank.
For semi-new decorator Tiffany Hayes, located at 3132 Evergreen Drive, Augusta, celebrating Halloween sprouted from her college days after growing up in a home that did not partake in the spooky traditions, and quickly exploded after she graduated from nursing school.
“When I was younger, we didn’t really get to celebrate Halloween a lot,” she said. “… when I got my home, it kind of exploded after that. They say when you can’t do something when you’re younger, you tend to overcompensate as an adult and I definitely did that.”
However, after having her miracle daughter two years ago, Hayes said it quickly became inspired and further fueled by her child’s wonder and curiosity for the holiday.
“Once we had my daughter, she loved it as much as I did. You would think that a 1-year-old would not be super in love with scary Halloween, but she was,” she said. “When she was one, I had a zombie baby that she would carry around and it kind of fueled the fire.”
Loving people’s joyous reactions, as well as her child’s, Hayes said she has added more items every year. This year, her Halloween decor features over 50 hand painted dolls.
“What really gets me fired up is seeing everyone else’s appreciation of it, because ultimately it’s just something that makes people smile,” she said. “I like figuring out something that makes people feel emotion … I like that people have this visceral reaction to it.”
As her daughter grows older, Hayes said she hopes her creepy decorations teach her daughter to always face scary things and try to find the joy in them.
“I don’t want her to be afraid of anything and this is taking things that most people would consider scary and normalizing it,” she said. “I think, in the world today, we’re thrown curveballs left and right, and you have to be able to spin on a dime and be totally okay with whatever life throws at you, and this in a way is setting her up for that.”
Whether the decor is inspired by the reactions or a unique child, many decorators said they love Halloween’s fun spirit and getting to know others as they visit the house.
Additional outrageous Halloween houses, include:
- 3132 Evergreen Drive, Augusta, Ga.
- 6040 Kiawah Trail, Aiken, S.C.
- 890 Deercrest Circle, Evans, Ga.
- 1610 and 1615 Lindley Lane, Evans, Ga.
- 710 Thornbury Ridge, Evans, Ga.
- 4151, 4152, 4163 and 4601 DeWaal St., Evans, Ga.
- 208 Darling Way, Evans, Ga.
- 520 Jutland Way, Evans, Ga.
- 610 and 710 Cavanaugh Way, Evans, Ga.
- 812, 909 and 2212 Ellis Lane, Evans, Ga.
- 915, 993 and 1000 Mitchell Lane, Evans, Ga.
