For some people, Halloween is more about the tricks and thrills than the sweet treats.
As early as the last week in September, some homes on Ashton Street started becoming spooky playgrounds.
From pirates and skeletons to Ghostbusters, devils, and haunting doorbell chimes, there is no lack of Halloween spirit in this neighbourhood just off Westmount Drive.
“For me, I get a chuckle out of seeing other people’s imagination go wild,” said Daryl Carstens.
His house is decked out for Halloween. On one side of the yard is a coffin wrapped in chains with a door that rattles open and closed. On the other is a 12-foot-tall skeleton and a devil that warns anyone passing to keep out of its graveyard.
Carstens has been setting up lively displays for the spooky season for more than two decades. He said it started when his children were small and he wanted to make a show for them. Then, it became entertainment for grandchildren.
“It just kept snowballing,” he explained.
It was the year that Halloween was supposed to be cancelled for COVID-19 that things started becoming haunted well beyond the Carstens’ home.
“Nah … that’s not going to work for me,” he said, grinning, remembering how the pandemic threatened the popular time of year.
Since 2020, Halloween enthusiasts in the neighbourhood have made sure Ashton Street is a sight not to miss.
Lindsay and Bill Griffin, who live down the street, also love the season.
“We love Halloween,” said the couple, who were married during the Halloween season.
Ghostbusters has been Bill’s favourite movie since he can remember. He associates the ghost theme with Halloween, so the Griffin yard has all the film’s main characters, the vehicle, and ghosts like Slimer hanging around the trees; the figures in their yard are either hand painted or life-sized inflatables. It’s hard to miss.
They are also known to play the movie with a 15-foot screen and a projector in their driveway. They initially thought it would be something to pass by. They later realized kids stopped and stayed to watch while munching the spoils of their travels.
“It’s an awesome energy and atmosphere on the street,” said Bill.
They compare the whole neighbourhood on Halloween night to “something you only see in the movies.”
He said volunteer firefighters will bring a fire truck to the neighbourhood on Halloween. They’ll give kids a tour of the truck and collect donations for the Salvation Army.
The festivities come at a price for people who live on Ashton Street. Linda Fillion budgets $200 to $300 for candy alone.
“Sometimes we run out before 8 p.m,” she said.
The Griffins budget as much as $1,000 for candy.
“I love giving options,” said Lindsay, “seeing the kids’ eyes wide open, not knowing what to choose.”
This year, the Griffins have 800 loot bags with small toy items and 600 chocolate treats. They acknowledge not every child is able to eat candy, so they like to include options for as many as they can.
“It’s also becoming tradition. (The kids) know what to expect,” said Lindsay.
They recall the year the Carstens suggested to the neighbourhood they make it a street-wide event. Everyone noticed cars from out of town, from as far as Guelph and Sudbury. Vehicles were bumper to bumper enjoying the sights.
Fillion said she has “always been a Halloween kid,” with her birthday on Oct. 28. She has lived on Ashton street for more than a decade.
“We make sure to tell (new neighbours) what to expect, but Halloween is for the people who want to enjoy it,” she said.
This year, Fillion’s yard will be fully lit with a pirate ship, skeletons, and a sea monster.
Many people on Ashton Street know how much time and effort it takes to make such a Halloween sight. The financial costs and the countless hours that go into the set-up come from a community of people who want to bring the spirit of the season alive.
Though he has always enjoyed the cheap thrills from his haunted house set-up, this year, Carstens is not having a haunted house. He is trying to get out of it, since it demands quite a bit of energy. Nevertheless, in the coming days, he plans to erect a 20-foot inflatable cat in a neighbour’s yard.
“I’d like to be the one answering the door with someone asking to set up my yard one day,” said Carstens.
He described the broken freezer that needed to be thrown out one year, but he laughed as people walked by, worried about its contents. That gave him the idea to don it with red paint and it gradually developed into an over-sized, creepy jack-in-the-box theme.
“It might be in the bloodline,” he said. “For the six-year-old (grandson), everything is Halloween.”
Carstens hands out treats, though he admits much of his inspiration comes from the joy of Halloween tricks.
“I can’t make anything nearly as scary as what’s going on in your head,” he said.
Many residents on Ashton Street have vivid memories from past Halloweens. Last year, three fathers dressed up as Michael Myers, Freddie Krueger and Jason Voorhees as they walked around with their kids trick-or-treating.
The Griffins remember someone walking on stilts as Optimus Prime for the evening.
“Every other night, since we don’t put it out all at once, we get cars passing by just to see what’s out,” said Carstens.
Fillion says the neighbourhood event becomes bigger each year.
The neighbours expect at least 1,000 trick-or-treaters Thursday night.
