BETHLEHEM, Pa. (WLVT) - On the corner of North Boulevard and Lafayette Avenue, Kaisers' House of Horror welcomes thousands of visitors every October.
Jeff Kaiser said it started in 2002 when he picked up some wooden boards that someone was throwing out.
"Trick-or-Treat Night was coming up in about a week. So, I got the crazy idea of cutting up these boards, making tombstones [and] painting them," he said. "The following year, I kept getting more and more times...It just sort of snowballed out of control, and after 19 years, I have all this crazy stuff in my front and side yard."
The display includes things Kaiser has built, bought and collected. More than 300 skeletons are scattered in the yard, and 20 items are inspired by movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Carrie, The Birds, and The Ring.
"For the most part, I try to keep everything in the same place, just for ease of assembling and putting it up," Kaiser said. "Every year, I may have to tweak it a little bit here to add new items, but everything is basically the same."
The house is a hit year after year. Kaiser started setting up the display before Labor Day and held a grand lighting ceremony on Oct. 1.
"I've always told people you have to come by twice," he said. "You have to come by once in the day, so you can actually see everything, and, of course, you have to come by at night to see the lights."
The attraction draws fans from other cities, states, and countries — and social media is bringing first-time visitors.
"We saw an ad on Facebook for it, and I was like, 'Oh, my God, this is wonderful,'" said Whitehall resident Andrea Koval, who visited with her children and nephews. "Because of COVID, there's nothing to do anymore. So, I was like, 'Oh, my gosh.' This was perfect."
"We heard it was like the place to be for holiday neighborhood decorations," said Josh George of Williamstown, New Jersey, who came with his daughter and mother, who lives in Bethlehem. "So, that's why we came here."
"This house, I heard, always does all these fun, cool, spooky stuff," said 11-year-old Alexia Richan of Bethlehem. "So, I wanted to see what they had."
It’s a Halloween tradition that hasn’t been cancelled by the pandemic. Kaiser said he's seen more people visiting because of it.
"What's nice about this is you're outdoors," he said. "You're not cooped up in a building, and if you are really worried about COVID, you can stay in your car and drive by."
Kaiser said the house draws anywhere from 900 to 1,200 children on Trick-or-Treat Night every year, and weekends are particularly popular times to visit.
"It’s staged so beautiful. It's so beautiful," Koval said. "I bet you next year, it's gonna be crazier.”
"I love it," Richan added. "I love all the detailed things. They get pretty crafty here."
"It's amazing to have a family come out and decorate the entire yard, to do this for the community," George said. "It's an amazing thing."
Kaiser said he’ll keep this year's display up until Sunday, Nov. 1. After that, he'll take it all down and start preparing for next year.
Visit Kaisers' House of Horror at 1250 North Boulevard, Bethlehem, PA 18017. The display is lit from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. every night through Nov. 1.