Spooky Houses Come in All Sizes and Shapes

By Barbara Lewis Spivak

The bright, warm autumn day was an inviting, if somewhat incongruous backdrop, as co-Spooky House Contest judge, Dodi Petruskie, and I set off on Halloween afternoon, to do our survey in search of Manhasset Bay’s Spookiest House. We found so many worthy of note that the contest expanded from one winner to four, with three honorable mentions.

First Prize Winner

Our first prize winner, by Bill Tella and Wendy Ohrbach of 19 Mitchell Rd, was clever, elaborate and really scary. I doubt few could pass by without a slight tremor of fear. A Skeleton Bride and Groom celebrated their nuptials in a graveyard, where tombstones blinked and skeleton heads rattled. Puffs of fog (from the fog machine demonstrated for us by the owners) added to the sepulchral atmosphere. A giant rat joined the celebration with a glass of champagne, a would-be skeleton guest struggled to unearth himself in time for the party and a snake of jungle proportions wrapped himself around a tree to preside over the ghastly goings-on.

Second Prize Winner

Our second prize winner, by Tom, Ann, and Justin Archi of 27 Kenworth Rd., had its own unique brand of spooky. The lady in the aluminum lawn chair outside the door was babushka-chic. No hormones, calcium tablets or botox treatments for her - just a cigarillo at a rakish angle and some snappy chatter. As I approached her, she asked me if I wanted any candy. When I told her I was there just to take her picture, she told me: “ That’ll be twenty-five dollars, lady!” Definitely spooky. There’s a rumor she may have met a guy that night who prefers watching horror movies to reading Playboy. Way to go.

Third Prize Winner

Our third prize winner, by Arthur, Theresa, Christopher, and James Lynch of 30 Meadow Dr., gave us witches, scarecrows, skeletons, ghosts and even a smiling, green-faced Count Dracula, all in brilliant living Technicolor. A cheerful and not too threatening kind of spooky, that hit just the right note for the expected undersized visitors that afternoon. Halloween should be fun!

Fourth Prize Winner

Our fourth prize winner, by Glen, Donna, Grant, and Giovanna Bruno of 11 Kenworth Rd., gave us a designer’s view of Halloween. A ghost draped gracefully over the garden gate door, an abstract scarecrow in dungarees, and smiling pumpkin faces. While not too spooky, it was a pleasure to behold.

Honorable Mention #1

Honorable Mention #2

Honorable Mention #3

We couldn’t stop there and had to include three honorable mentions: Ghost in a Graveyard (28 Amherst Rd.); Ghost in a Garden (151 Luquer Rd.) and The Littlest Ghosts (84 Luquer Rd.).

Now that all the skeletons, ghosts and other spooky things are back in your attic where they belong, it’s time to think about a different decorating effort; as we approach the Holiday Season and holiday lights (lots of them) help us get through the shortest days of the year. MBEA will be out there, making our lists and checking them twice, before selecting the winners of the Holiday House decorating contest. Forget about your electric bill and go for broke!