Mr. October 31

by Donna M. Kreutz

Ever since Scott Schultz was seven years old, he’s been fascinated with decorating for Halloween.  He vividly remembers the yard of an old man (who isn’t old when you’re seven?) who created wooden characters that were animated and scared the daylights out of the annual trick or treaters.  Now, as a member of CalHaunts, whose motto is, “if you build it, they will scream,” Scott spends most of his spare time preparing for the ghoulish holiday.

The “yard haunt” actually started in 2002 with a fog cooler, some Halloween lights and a few carved pumpkins.  Over the years, the graveyard theme has grown to include all sorts of mechanical ghouls.  Scott’s first big project was the creation of the popular “Flying Crank Ghost” a very impressive Halloween marionette that Scott built in his very own garage.
Scott says, “no blood, no torture, just fun!   It’s not about the ‘gore factor’ it’s about the ‘ooohhhh factor’.  I like to hear people say, ‘how did he do that?’”  

It takes Scott and his wife, Colleen, weeks to unpack everything, set it up and be ready for just four or five hours one night a year. “I usually start setting up the static props the first of October and add to the haunt almost daily throughout the month all the way up until the day of Halloween.  This way I keep the new props as much of a surprise for the big day as I can!  I usually have about 80 percent of the haunt out a week before Halloween.  This year with Halloween falling on a Friday I’d like to leave the display out until Sunday the 2nd of November so others who may be busy with their own Halloween activities can have a chance to see it.” 

Tear down usually takes one or two days but packing everything up and getting it stored takes another couple of weeks and then it’s time to start preparing for Christmas.
Scott describes his passion for Halloween decorations as “just an extreme hobby.”

When Scott isn’t at his job as Computer Network Technician at Saugus High School or designing, building, setting up or tearing down displays, he’s busy with his children’s swimming, karate, and scouting activities. 

Scott and his wife, Colleen, live in Valencia with their three children whom Scott says are just a little too young to be building Halloween props, but he’s hoping they’ll pick up his passion for the holiday.

Boo!

For more information, please visit www.calhaunts.com.

Photos by Donna M. Kreutz / House Photos courtesy Scott Schultz