As it stands, 2020 has been one, if not the, scariest year in recent memory.
The thriller that is the COVID-19 pandemic has afflicted us with claustrophobic lockdowns, scientific ignorance of the effectiveness of masks, and even given kids nightmares of having to pursue virtual classrooms.
Despite these horrors, we’re now approaching the most nightmarish day of them all: Halloween. While we all should do our best to social distance and be mindful of those near us, the pandemic shouldn’t fully stop us from enjoying one of the most celebrated national events.
People are still decorating their houses with all the spider webs, tombstones, scarecrows, and pumpkins that they can muster. The spooky scale is one that extends a wide range of scary elements from the least extreme to most extreme.
But let’s face it: when it comes to home decorations on Halloween, we all know it’s a race for the scariest house in the neighborhood, which is why we decided to check out local artist Steve Novak’s home to see what the big commotion was.
Let’s just say that the spooky scale has just been tipped over with this one!
“I’ve always been up to hijinks like flying ghosts or 7 ft tall snow sculptures of myself, so if I was going to do Halloween it was obvious that it should be hyperreal,” Novak said. “No lights, fog, machine, or camp…something that would really freak people out walking by in the dark. so I whipped up some dummies and slung 20 gallons of blood all over.”
The gruesome scene is not for the faint of heart.
His M Street yard shows a murderous display of a dummy with his head stabbed by a large machete as his torso dangles from the roof.
In addition, another dummy has a scale where its head used to be, and also more dummies can be found inside trash bags.
Gore was the name of the game on this one.
If you’re weak in the stomach, we would advise that you look away.
“I’m most proud of the wheelbarrow tipped over by the street full of hefty bags looking like a failed attempt to dispose of the dismembered bodies in the middle of the night.” Said Novak. “A kid walked by and asked me what happened to them; I said they ate too many Skittles.”
Novak’s Halloween spirit has amassed great attention from his neighbors- especially those that walk their dogs in the morning.
Since it does rain, Novak has to replace the watered-down blood with new blood in order to keep the scene looking as devilish as possible.
“It was raining a lot and washing the blood away so I indefatigably ‘watered’ The bodies every morning for a while to the dismay of early dog walkers and joggers saying as they passed ‘watering the bodies!'”
The crazy part about it all was that Novak had received complaints from the sergeant, which in effect resulted in police units investigating the premise.
They were in formation when knocking on the door and informed Novak that they thought the setup was pretty cool. Novak confidently claimed ownership over his “bodies” and could tell from the police that they were enjoying the craziness of it all.
“Honestly though I think I could have used more,” Novak commented. “My plans were way worse on paper. Next year though!”
This is truly a setup worthy of All Hallow’s Eve.
It’s exactly the type of stomach-bending experience we all needed after a ramshackle year of misfortune. Even if you don’t have a great taste for the occult and wicked, at least those who had some laughs found some appreciation.
Make sure to stay safe, socially distance, and be wary of the foul ghouls lurking in the dark.
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