The Most Elaborate Halloween Decorations

1. Grace Street Graveyard (Lombard) - ghoulish goings-on!

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerGrace Street Graveyard is up and running for the public to view and admire.  Cleverly designed, it combines static and moving elements and props but the most exciting and scary sight is the handmade gravestones.  Check YOUR epitaph is not on there when you walk past it!

2. Holiday House Projections (Manhattan) - scary montage

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerThis family who own this house love to create scenes every year for Halloween and Christmas. This year, to spook visitors, the homeowner has created a custom scary movie montage set to music, including singing pumpkins. The theme this year is Hocus Pocus!

3. Heather Court (Naperville) - scene from 'It'

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerThere is a giant window video projection that includes the sewer scene from 'It', with people desperately trying to escape the window, dripping blood and ghostly figures  For those of a nervous disposition, hide behind a friend and stuff a tissue in your mouth to muffle the screams!

4. Curse of the Glass House (New Lenox) - haunted pumpkin

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerFront yard display of Halloween tricks opening October 3, 2021. This is the 19th year that the owner of this house has scared young and old half to death with witches, vampires and a haunted pumpkin patch.  Watch out for the live actors who succeed in helping us jump out of our skin.

5. Fear of the Dark (Schaumburg) - not for the faint-hearted

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerThis display can be viewed during the day but is at its most scary at night with its special effects that are so realistic, your heart will be pumping like no tomorrow!  The owner of the property constructed and hand painted all the animatronics, scenes and backdrops!

6. Crypt of Kipling Estates (Shorewood) - skeletons escaping

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerThis haunted graveyard is family themed so bring your kids to see an absolute spectacle.  Skeletons try to escape, even the gigantic one, over 12 feet tall.  To soften the atmosphere, the rotten pumpkin king has joined the party this year and does a mean job as a stand up comedian and a worse job of singing!

7. Fright On Fay (West Dundee) - kids will love it

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerThis yard haunt is kid friendly, with no gore or violence. That will please parents but probably disappoint the children! At night the area is lit up in a multitude of colours which change every evening.  Ghoulish treats and scary snacks are handed out to visitors.

8. Autumn Creek Blvd (Yorkville) -  a gravestone hobby!

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerThe lady of this house has always been a Halloween enthusiast since she learned how to build her own gravestones as a kid. Sounds like a nice hobby for a youngster!  Over the years it evolved into a collection and along with her husband, an IT enthusiast and video editor, they have together created an amazing show.  So good, it made the local news!

9. Barnsdale Road (La Grange Park) - walk THROUGH the cat!

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerThis display is full of skeletons and giant inflatables including Ursula from The Little Mermaid, a dragon, tractor, witches, ghosts and pirate ship. You can even walk through the huge black cat!  This is such a cute (and not very scary) display so young kids can enjoy it without screaming their heads off.

10. Spirits on Sproat (Oak Lawn) - creepy and funny

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerIf you enjoy humorous museum-like signage which describes each character, creepy horror movie music mixed with sound effects and live scarers, you will totally love this Halloween bonanza.  To spoil you even more, there is a really cool lighting show to wow the audience.

11. Pioneer Drive (Addison) - terror in Texas

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerIf you aren't a fan of frightening stuff but you want to join in and not be a party pooper at Halloween, then you have to visit Pioneer Drive.  It's packed full of (un)scary sights for all the family.  So much effort and detail has gone into the scene and it certainly has the wow factor.

12. Hartley Drive (Algonquin)  - Halloween horror

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerInspired by 'The Night Before Christmas', the display features a three metre tall Jack Skellington, his true love Sally,  his dog Zero and the trick-or-treaters Lock, Shock, and Barrel!  There is also a walk-through cemetery with pneumatic and moving props!

13. Westbury Manor and Cemetery Walk (Algonquin) - enter at your peril

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerWalk through this yard with a haunted graveyard featuring electronic, pneumatic and static prop displays. Beware of the live actors on weekends who are too scary for words and appear out of nowhere!  The howling sounds in the background make for a great visit!

14. Evergreen Avenue (Arlington Heights) - no BODY to meet you

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerBrace yourself for this one.  From a distance it looks quite tame but as you approach the house it all changes.  A haunted doll, zombies, spiders, animatronics and jumping rodents will keep you on your toes.  When the owner brings round strange sweets and candies, make sure none of them move on their own!

15. Brookside Drive (Bartlett) - everything moves oooh!

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerThis display has caught loads of attention, not surprisingly, with all the effort that has gone into creating it.  All of the decorations move, jump and make strange noises. The home owner does a different display every year and starts planning 6 months in advance.

16. Smoketree Lane (Bartlett) - beware of voodoo witch

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerThis pirate display is kid friendly with only a few jump scares but still looks so effective. There are pillaging pirates, shipwrecks caused by the singing siren, a voodoo witches shack with trinkets and potions and colourful lights.   Visitors are able to walk through the display on path and see easter eggs from all Pirates of the Caribbean films.

17. Wellington Drive (Bloomingdale) - hope you're not scared of spiders!

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerThis cute (if you can call it cute!) display was built by the family with the assistance of their two small girls.  It's so interesting with its spiders, witches, lights and projected dancing skeleton.  Visitors are asked to make a small donation to a children's charity after they have looked round.

18. Maple Avenue (Berwyn) - DON'T look through the windows!

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerThis apartment owner has created shadow box displays in the windows. There are nine animated window displays that are guaranteed to make you scream!  The Halloween lights are on every night and look so good once it's dark outside.  Once Halloween is out of the way, work starts on the Xmas windows!

19. Harrison (Brookfield) - ghosts in the trees

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerGhosts, skeletons, a romantic corpse bride and groom and a cemetery - what more could you ask for? Both the front and side yards of this house are decked out will all manner of ghoulish figures and spotlights made it spooky at night - they even had ghosts hanging from the trees in the street!⁠

20. Elm Avenue (Brookfield) - pirates galore!

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerReady on October 1, 2022 and runs from dusk – midnight, daily. This pirate display will have Jack Sparrow jealous! The spiderwebs, treasure chest, and skeletons will ship you into Halloween shape in no time.

21. Canyon Trail (Carol Stream) - strange happenings in the cemetery

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerCanyon Trail Cemetery even has its own Facebook page, such is its popularity.  You can stop by to see the award winning animatronics.  Kids love the smoke and bubbles and it's not too scary for them.  As with many of these decorated homes, they accept donations to charities of their choice.

22. Maple Avenue (Brookfield) - zombie overload

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerThis interactive display features an infection treatment facility that has been overtaken by a group of zombies.  There's special lighting, fog, and the weirdest of sounds that are sure to make you quiver!  The homeowner does a different display every year and never disappoints.

23. Easton Drive (Carol Stream) - award winning props

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerThe Haunting of Carol Scream is another award winning yard display with with its static props and motorized components.  The display is very well known with its striking colours lights and intricate detail.  No wonder it's the talk of the neighbourhood.

24. S. Avenue O (Chicago) - if you love a haunted house

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerThis is the best hidden secret in the Hegewisch neighbourhood and has been displaying different Halloween themes for 15 years.  Queues start on the first day of October and there is a steady stream for the whole of the month.  There is also a haunted house available on select evenings.

25. Carlton Street (Crest Hill) - a bit overcrowded!

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerLooks like a packed house - there's even skeletons on the roof!  This beautifully designed display made the papers and the news!  It really needs to be seen in the flesh to appreciate all the hard work that has gone into making it a spectacular sight for the many visitors

26. Kathleen Drive (Des Plaines) - best not to look round!

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerThis home haunt has lots of animatronics and is suitable for young Halloween enthusiasts.  If visitors wish to show their appreciation for the great entertainment they receive, the family who put the design together collect food donations for the Des Plaines Food Pantry.

27. Shelley Court (Elk Grove Village) - terror in the court

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerTake a walk through the specially built path to meet all the creatures stirring in 'Terror in the Court.'  Fog and lighting provide that extra spooky experience as well as animatronics lining the front porch.  Make sure to yell at the creatures as most of them are sound activated!

28. Glasgow Drive (Frankfort) - featured on Fox News!

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerThis house has a very large Halloween yard display with tons of animate props, all home made!  Actors add to the terror and ambience of the setting.  Fox News did a piece on this Halloween house and that encouraged droves of visitors.  Donations could be made to local causes.

29. Red Death (Frankfort) - where death and decay are the norm

Image source Courtesy of Home Owner'Red Death' is a graveyard full of sickness, decay, and horror!  Does this sound right up your street? The display includes 6 tombstones, 5 creatures, a full size coffin, a vomiting man, 4 decaying sculls and the odd skeleton!  So much thought went into this and the crowds loved it.

30. Greenbriar Cemetery (Gilberts) - thrills and chills

Image source Courtesy of Home OwnerGreenbriar cemetery is an award winning free haunt open to all for the whole month of October.  Moving monsters, spooky fog and a full graveyard are just some of the attractions. The homeowner has certainly brought Greenbriar Graveyard to life! Homeowners host bonfires at the weekend, so you get the thrills and not the chills!