Tricks and treats abound at this spooky time of year, and local witches and warlocks have taken to dressing up their homes with ghastly sights, whimsical lights and a handful of frights. Here are our picks for the most spook-tacular light displays that will delight boys and ghouls of all ages.
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The Jimmis’ Haunted Halloween, 1922 Putnam Pike, Chepachet, RI
Laurie and Jack Jimmis love Halloween so much, their relatives got them two caskets for Christmas. The pair design and build all of their own decorations, which haunt their front lawn from Oct. 1 through Halloween night. Laurie dreams up and designs the devilish decor, and her husband Jack crafts each ghoulish piece by hand. This year their display includes a witch peddling a bike, a puking Regan from “The Exorcist,” a head on a guillotine, a creepy old lady rocking in a chair and much more. The Jimmis have been celebrating their love of classic horror by decking out their house for the past ten years. Their display runs all day, but things get even more chilling at nightfall. Fright level: Doors slamming on their own
Sachs Family Lights Extravaganza, 21 Mann Street, Bellingham, MA
The Sachs family goes all out for Christmas, but they light the lights early for All Hallows’ Eve, too. Their musical display includes their famous dancing lights, singing monster faces, zombies invading the house, ghosts in the graveyard and even a watchful gargoyle keeping an eye out for tricksters! The Sachs’ family-friendly show runs every night through Halloween from 6 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 6 to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Visitors can also hear some spooky tunes on their car stereos at 101.7 FM and watch the lights dance along. Visit their Facebook page here. Fright level: A rustling of dry leaves
Porreca Pumpkin Palooza, 787 Pontiac Avenue, Cranston, RI
Pass by this Pontiac Avenue home on Halloween and you’ll see a bright orange glow. That’s because each year the Porreca family carves and lights 100 jack-O’-lanterns to celebrate the autumn holiday. It’s a family project that they say they look forward to every year. Last year they gave candy to more than 600 hundred trick-or-treaters, but that’s not all: at 9 p.m. on All Hallows’ Eve they start giving away their glowing pumpkin creations. Fright level: All treats and no tricks
Senor Turgle’s Halloween Spectacular, 344 Lydia Avenue, Woonsocket, RI
Senor Turgle’s Halloween Spectacular takes it to another level. Using projector mapping technology, display creator Tony Sferrazza creates floating ghosts, dancing skeletons and singing jack-o’-lanterns all on the side of his Woonsocket home. From 8 to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays (weather permitting) visitors to this ghoulish graveyard can listen to Halloween tunes like “Thriller” and “The Monster Mash” while fanciful frights dance before your eyes. It’s the second year of the display, but last year, Sferrazza says it brought more trick-or-treaters than ever. Fright level: Bats in the belfry
Giroux Family Halloween Display, 69 Outlook Avenue, East Providence, RI
The Giroux Family does a knockout Christmas display and the same goes for their frightfully delightful Halloween light show. This year, they’ve busted out the “dancing” pumpkin lights, lots of inflatables, color-changing flood lights and more. They say on All Hallows’ Eve they get about 300 Trick-or-Treaters and play live music that gets people shaking their bones! The Giroux Halloween display runs nightly 6:30 to 9 p.m., and 5 to 10 p.m. on Halloween. Visit their Facebook page here. Fright level: Smiling Jack-O’-Lantern
Janna’s Haunted Holidays, 40 Oak Avenue, Riverside, RI
Janna Espada’s homemade display isn’t for the faint of heart. Espada makes most of the props herself, and this year, the theme is “Haunted Holidays.” The sprawling display features macabre depictions of Christmas, Valentine’s Day and even St. Patrick’s Day. And if that wasn’t creepy enough, they’ll have the Easter Bunny passing out candy and giving hugs (and goosebumps!) on Halloween night. Each night the lights come on at dusk and stay lit until about 10 p.m., but the Espadas say the display is “fun day and night.” Fright level: A journey into the basement
MacDonald’s Halloween Display, 54 Ellery Road, Newport, RI
Ask around Rhode Island about the best holiday displays, and chances are people will mention this one. The MacDonald’s have been decking out their Ellery Road home for Christmas and Halloween since the late-1970’s, and they say it’s grown to be a tradition for many families in the area. Their Halloween display can be viewed all day, but Kevin MacDonald suggests nighttime viewing is even better. The lawn is crawling with spooky decorations that include a pumpkin patch with a blow up section, a graveyard, a Marvel “Avengers” theme area and much more. Fright level: Sorting your candy on Halloween night
Joslin Street Yard Haunt, 4 Joslin Street, North Providence, RI
The Joslin Street Yard Haunt has been creeping out North Providence residents for 13 years. Witches and zombies wander the front yard amid coffins and gory scenes of horror. The display runs 6 to 9 p.m. weekdays and 6 to 10 p.m. weekends, but it’s Halloween that’s not to be missed — that’s when special magic helps the display come alive all day until 11 p.m. The Joslin Street Yard Haunt also collects donations for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. Fright level: Shrieking banshee
Auburn Holiday Display, 12 Reithel Street, Auburn, MA
The Auburn Holiday Display does Christmas and Halloween, but the latter is a lot scarier. They describe their display as a “haunt walk” — it’s an interactive display that’s open seven nights a week, weather permitting. Monday through Thursday is kid-friendly but on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, things get more thrilling, so it’s recommended that only teens and adults attend. It’s on the weekends that they break out the animatronics and live actors! The Auburn Holiday Display asks that guests bring a non-perishable food donation for the local food pantry. Visit their Facebook page here. Fright level: Mon-Thurs: A tromp through the pumpkin patch/Fri-Sun: A midnight walk in the graveyard
Quiet Corner Halloween Display, Route 205/Wauregan Road, Brooklyn, CT
Quiet Corner is another display that celebrates both Christmas and Halloween, but definitely not at the same time. Their ghastly graveyard features a dancing ghost circle, pumpkin patch and spooky singing monster. Lights run every night through Halloween from dusk to 10 p.m. Quiet Corner’s display is free, but they are accepting donations for a local family in need and their charity, Fighting for Emma. Their magical light display also dances to bone-shaking music that can be heard on 95.1 FM. Visit their Facebook page here. Fright level: A distant howl at the moon
The Saran Cemetery, 1246 Putnam Pike, Chepachet, RI
Mr. and Mrs. Saran love Halloween so much, they got married on October 31 in their very own graveyard display! Now decorating their yard with their homemade creations has become an annual tradition! Their front lawn features a graveyard scene, while their side yard is a tribute to “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!” The Sarans say their display is great for boys and ghouls of all ages. Swing by during the day, or wait until the sun sets and the lights glow through the night. Fright level: A black cat purring
Kim’s Thrilling Halloween, 49 Cross Bow Lane, West Warwick, RI
Kim has been designing spooky Halloween themes for 20 years; to her, Halloween is better than Christmas or any other holiday. Planning starts months in advance and she often knows what her next display will look like by November 1! The yard is crawling with monsters and other spooky sights, frightful sounds and special effects that include strobe lights and fog. Many people line up for pictures and often innocent trick-or-treaters are too scared to even knock on the door and get their goody bags! The display can be seen day or night, but preferably after dark when everything is lit up and the monsters begin to come alive! Fright level: Shivers up your spine
The Souza’s Spooky Spectacle, 8 North Street, Warwick, RI
Do you have a favorite Halloween display not on our list? Tell us about it! Email [email protected]
