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Danielle Burfine wanted to do something nice for her son Austin, who missed hanging out with friends, going to the swimming pool, chalking up the cue in his pool league and all the other things that suddenly vanished from his life due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This year has been really hard on him,” Burfine says of her 14-year-old special-needs son.
As the summer slipped away and the fall approached, however, Burfine knew what might lift her son’s spirits — the family’s elaborate annual Halloween celebration and display, erected in the front yard of their home at 1450 Emory St. in San Jose’s Rose Garden district.
Only this year, she decided to go bigger than ever before to put a smile on not only her son’s face, but those of her neighbors and other visitors.
“We figure everyone could use a smile,” she says.
Instead of waiting for October to roll around, she put out the first decorations on Sept. 5. Austin helped his family, including dad Andrew and sister Jazmyne, build everything. This year’s haunt is a fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Program, as well as a spirit raiser. And the spectacle, which runs through Halloween, includes a special needs night set for 5 to 9 p.m. Oct. 3.
Visitors will find a massive spookfest, where monsters, pirates, Disney characters and ghoulish things of the night meet up to say “boo!” to all who pass by. The animatronic creatures actually speak and move, trigger-activated as people walk by on the sidewalk.
“I wanted it be interactive. But I wanted it to be safe,” says Burfine. “It’s all step-pad activated so the kids don’t have to touch anything. It’s coronavirus safe.”
The attractions range from a life-size evil clown — who says “Oh, Halloween is so frightening” when you step on the pad in front of it — to a skeletal pirate captain, complete with spooky parrot perched on the bony shoulder. Snoopy and Minnie Mouse mingle with Jack Skellington and Sally in one area and — what’s that?
“That is Poppy from ‘Trolls’ riding the reindeer from ‘Frozen,'” Burfine says.
You’ll also see Chucky of “Child’s Play” fame behind the wheel of a BMW, although Austin is no fan of the famed killer doll.
“Austin doesn’t like Chucky,” Burfine says, “but he’s being a killer clown for Halloween.”
“That’s not Chucky,” Austin replies.
The background for the whole display is the Burfines’ storybook Tudor home, which provides an almost-fairytale setting for the Halloween characters.
“I always tell people to look for a really big house from ‘Lord of the Rings,'” Burfine says. “It looks like a hobbit’s house.”
Come Nov. 1, the Halloween decorations will be packed away to be replaced by a Thanksgiving display — followed soon after by the big Christmas showing. Burfine grins as she says, “I’ve got an equal amount of Christmas stuff.”
