Watch Kids Scream Their Little Heads Off At Dyker Frights
Dyker Heights may be famous for its elaborate Christmas displays, but the bucolic residential neighborhood doesn’t exactly scrimp on Halloween.
The spookiest house in town, hands down, is Dyker Frights. A chilling, blood-soaked scene can be be found at 1123 79th Street, which is owned by Dyker resident Anthony George.
Each October, for the last 10 years, George’s front lawn has come alive with crawling mummies, decapitated ghouls, stray body parts, creepy dolls, and a very chatty, toothless grandma.
While October 31 is the night to go, when throngs of costumed children flood the block for trick-or-treating, Dyker Frights draws a steady stream of die-hard young fans all month long.
“All day long, it’s out of control. The kids come on their way to school, on their way back from school, and before they go to sleep,” says George, who is a graphic designer by trade. “One of the fathers told me, ‘Your house is a great bargaining chip for them to do their homework.’”
The sets, which take about 15 hours over the course of a month to build, are made from real antique collectibles or built from scratch, George says. He takes inspiration from movies like The Exorcist, House of 1000 Corpses, and The Devil’s Rejects, and he’s even visited Universal Studios’ House of Horrors to get more ideas.
Each year, the set grows, and now Dyker Frights is expanding onto a neighbor’s lawn. George says he is even in talks with the firehouse on the corner — another local Halloween attraction — to get the Department of Transportation to shut down block on October 31.
On All-Hallow’s Eve, four volunteers will dress up as wretched creatures to blend in with the horror scene, and jump out unexpectedly to scare the children. Watch highlights from Dyker Frights 2013 above, and preview some of this year’s gruesomeness here.
