I never really knew our neighbor, Mrs. Jarvis, when I was growing up. Although I was occasionally friendly with her son, Ricky, his mother was essentially a mystery to me. Until Halloween night, that is, when she would deck herself out as an evil, cackling witch, stir the bubbling contents of a giant cauldron, and beckon brave trick-or-treaters into her living room lair.
“Hey Marty, I dare you to go into the Jarvis’ house.”
“No way, Dave. There’s a witch in there. She’ll throw us into her pot and eat us!”
If you don’t live in a country that celebrates Halloween, it’s quite a weird holiday. The whole point of it seems to be to scare the living daylights out of kids, and then soothe their terror with a year’s worth of sugar. Needless to say, it was my favorite holiday as a kid.
I had this candy ranking system. Sweet Tarts were fairly low on my totem pole, along with Pixy Stix and lollipops. What I cherished above all were chocolate bars – particularly Snickers, Butterfingers and Milky Ways . At the top of the heap was something called a Million Dollar Bar. I can’t really remember what it looked or tasted like – but I know it was 7 digits of goodness. My biggest, challenge, however, wasn’t getting the candy; it was keeping it away from my mother, Shirley, who also had a sweet tooth. I recall hiding candy bars all around my room—in my clothes drawer, behind the books, under the lamp—because the fridge wasn’t safe from my candy-clutching mama.
Horror, sweets and hording – what a great combo!
No offense to my neighbor, Mrs. Jarvis, but the full-on, animatronic extravaganza currently taking place on Magowan Street in Santa Rosa, CA might just be the Mt. Everest of Halloween Houses. Every year, the owners set up a Hollywood-quality, mixed-monster presentation and set it loose every Friday and Saturday night during the weeks preceding October 31st.
Where they store all these mannequins and robots during the off season is anyone’s guess. Maybe a secret warehouse under the streets of the city, a la the Bat Cave? Who knows? Once a year, though, the owners go absolutely wild, gifting the neighborhood with an EPIC (& 100% free) scare-fest of the highest order. All the classic ghouls are represented: mummies, werewolves, witches, ogres, skeletons. Jack Skellington (from The Nightmare Before Christmas), vampire bats, devil dogs. The list goes on.
And best of all, the monsters all move! Many of them even talk! And those eyes… tiny video screens that blink, stare and follow you around the venue. Very cool, very creepy, very life-like!
As I’m walking around the haunted yard, taking pictures, a winged demon suddenly pops up from a hidden hole and makes me jump out of my shoes. A few seconds later, a cackling witch springs at me from behind a cauldron, raising my blood pressure well beyond safety level. My heart’s beating, my breath restricted. I love it!
All in all, the Magowan Haunted House is the Rolls Royce of Halloween installations: a super-scary, super-fun, super-imaginative Wow place of a good time for the entire neighborhood.
Mrs. Jarvis would be proud.
(A girl I knew back in college once told me, “Always do what you’re most afraid of.” At the time, I took this as profound wisdom. “Yes! I’m going to lean into my fears! I’ll travel to exotic lands. I’ll apply for law school. I’ll go skydiving! ” As I’ve gotten older, though, I’ve began to wonder if simply countering my fears is the best model for decision making. After all, I’m afraid of taking LSD, eating bugs and jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. That doesn’t mean I need to do these things, right??! Perhaps a more nuanced take on my friend’s advice might be: “When you find yourself afraid of doing something, pay attention!” Yes, it might be that you’re afraid because the action, itself, is unsafe. But it might also be your body alerting you that a significant opportunity for self-growth and self-mastery has arrived at your doorstep. In other words, what exactly lies in front of you: a real danger or perceived danger? If the former, proceed with caution! If the latter, perhaps this is just what you need. Or not. But pay attention!)
(Dave Blum is the creator of Dr. Clue Treasure Hunts, www.drclue.com, a teambuilding company featuring over 150 treasure hunt locations worldwide. He has visited over 40 countries in his 60+ years of life and plans to keep traveling until he gives up the ghost. Dave lives in Northern California with his wife, Donica, and their 18-year-old Maine Coon, Ava — an indoor cat who dreams of one day escaping captivity and exploring her own neighborhood Wow Places.)