340 S. Annandale Drive, Lake in the hills, IL
year: 2012
Haunt 31 is a yard display located in Lake in the Hills, Illinois, which is almost two house from the Tourer's home base. 20123 marked the first time the Tourers headed into this particular area, se we were not sure what to expect.
Overall, this display is very well done, making use of both the front of the house where it is located and also the right hand side of the main driveway. When we arrived not everything was set up, and there were a number of displays in the garage that were either not yet ready or were not being used this particular year. Despite this, what was on display was interesting enough. The main yard portion featured a large gateway with a stylized "Haunt 31" emblazoned on it, along with numerous skeletons and other figures, including and entire skeletal funeral party carrying another skeleton in a coffin. Although we would encounter this exact display several more times this year (as many home haunters use the same props, and what is new in a given year tends to be popular), this was the first time we saw it and it was most impressive. A variation on this display was used at Canyon Trail Cemetery, where the owners modified it so that the skeleton in the coffin popped out from time to time. Other props included a witch stirring a cauldron in a voodoo shack, complete with a giant animatronic snake, a skeletal specter guarding the front entrance, and a puppet baby creature that one of the owners carried around like a live baby. It was operated by a cleverly disguised hand and added a nice creepy touch to the proceedings. As a yard display, Haunt 31 holds a lot of promise. We would like to visit later in the season when more props are set up, but what we did see was worthwhile. |