9028 S. Sproat Avenue, Oak Lawn, IL
year: 2013
Spirits on Sproat is one of our favorite yard displays, and
one we look forward to seeing each year. Essentially, the display is a “who’s
who” of movie monsters, both classic and modern, as well as other creatures,
all creatively brought to “life” by the owner.
In years past, there have been signs in front of each character that identified them to visitors. This year, however, was a bit different, with random sign placement and a game where visitors could guess which character was which. As mentioned, the characters run the gamut, from the more well known, such as Jason Voorhees or Frankenstein’s Monster, to lesser characters that might not be known to everyone, such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame or even “Mother” from the movie Psycho. There is so much to see here, and excellent use is made of limited front yard space. Part of the fun is spotting and identifying all of the characters. At a quick glance we noticed quite the variety, and many of the classic Universal horror monsters were represented, from the Invisible Man (yes, you could see him), to the Wolf Man, to the Mummy, to the Creature from the Black Lagoon in a garbage can near the front door. Are for modern movie characters, there was Leatherface, Freddy Krueger, Pinhead from Hellraiser, Chucky, Hannibal Lechter, and the Saw guy. Basically, you name it and it was here. Well over two dozen characters, all of them cleverly posed and effectively lit. And that only covers characters at ground level, leaving out those hanging from the house and suspended from various places. There is also always something new to see. Amongst the new displays this year was a huge shark mouth representing the movie Jaws, which was quite clever and amusing at the same time. Additionally, there are usually some live actors around to keep visitors on their toes. On the night we visited there was a great Mike Myers, who stalked visitors down the block, hid out amongst the bushes and amongst the characters, and also climbed up a nearby tree, ready to pounce on unsuspecting victims. Overall, it was highly entertaining, as it always is.
For those that don’t think yard displays are worth it, you are missing out. Spirits on Sproat offers excellent visual entertainment for movie fans, monster fans, Halloween fans, or fans of creativity in general. Add to that some entertaining live actors and you have a the recipe for a fun visit. Oh, and did we mention it’s also free? Spirits on Sproat is a yard display that’s more than a yard display. We like to think of it as a museum of, and homage to the mirror movie genre, all done with style and panache. Do yourself a favor and visit it – you’ll be glad you did! |
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