Remembering -- The Nightmare on Henry St. "Part 2"

Nightmare Part two, wow this is like watching a cool horror movie, part II, yea.  What a wonderful time during that first year in 1988, I had the most remarkable time with my two daughters and my family that Halloween.  Unfortunately this would be the last year that I would be able to enjoy taking my two little girls trick or treating, but what a trade off.   My god they were only 5 and 6 years old what was wrong with me?  What the hell was going on in their fathers mind?   The following years were the best though; my girls loved doing Halloween in the yard.  Helping dad create monsters, creatures and creepy things that go bump in the night. 

I thought to myself as I remembered Halloween growing up. What child cannot remember looking forward to trick or treating at Halloween actually was like 1911 when it first began; and so much longer ago in other places in the world. And the legends of Halloween go centuries beyond that, centuries.  There must be a place that people could go to celebrate their favorite holiday.  Well that place ended up being the “Nightmare on Henry St.” for thousands of people over the following years and I’m not exaggerating that number at all.  People found a place that they could bring their children to enjoy Halloween.  Parents could relax and cherish the memories with their children and reminisce a bit of their own.  As a parent, I wanted a safe place that my children could enjoy the fun and silliness to those of Halloween and still embrace the true horror.  And I knew I could keep it all in check where I could keep an eye on my children as all parents do.   And not only for my children but all children who wandered the fields of the Nightmare that we provided. 

What’s wrong with a little fog, a little scare, a little scream, a little fun?  But as we grow up and face our modern responsibilities we lose track of the inspiration the fascination the curiosity that we all had when we were a child. And that was another plus watching all those parents be able to open up a bit and get away from the trials and tribulations of life’s true horrors.   And be a child with their child.

Halloween 1989

Front page of the local paper Halloween day 10-31-89



Halloween 1989 I build a lot of tomb stones out of plywood.  My daughters and there friend’s in the neighborhood had fun with that.  They enjoyed writing little quirks and painting them on.  I would put little holes in the ground so that they could insert the tombstones into the yard.   They also took a lot of spider webs and strung them all over the yard.  It gave the atmosphere of Halloween that really cool eerie effect.  I rebuilt Jason and made him bigger and stronger; he was about 7 feet tall by the time I had finished, he looked very intimidating. 

The local times herald paper came out and actually took photos, I was so surprised to see my photo on the front page of the paper that Halloween morning.  Well that actually launched a steady influx of people curious to see what this Halloween trick or treat was all about.  A few hundred people actually came by the house that day.  And not just in the evening but it seems right after everyone had their breakfast and coffee and saw the paper that morning.  It seemed that a chain reaction of childhood memories took form to reminisce and spark the minds of the people of the town.  

For a brief moment I felt like the Frankenstein monster, with the town’s people storming towards me.  But not with lit- torches a- blazing and misunderstood misconceptions of hatred and anger, but with what seemed to be flashlights and curiosity instead.

   

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