In one Chicago neighborhood, the houses get dressed up for Halloween too

CHICAGO — All across Chicago, the leaves in the trees are changing colors, and the Jack-o-Lanterns are projecting their jagged smiles from porches and front steps.

But Halloween really comes to life in Ravenswood Manor, where residents create over-the-top holiday displays every year.  

“This whole neighborhood has some cool Halloween stuff,” said Martha Miszczyszyn, who was strolling the neighborhood taking photos of the spooky displays.

“It brings the magic of the season to life,” said KG Brake, who was walking a dog.  

West Wilson Avenue is the Halloween hot spot in Chicago.

“Wilson for whatever reason, it’s just insane,” said Dop Troutman, a Ravenswood manor resident. “Halloween is a big deal in this neighborhood.”

One nearby home displays a “Dead Zeppelin Concert” featuring dozens of mini skeletons rocking out in front a stage.  

Around the corner there are full-sized mummies, monsters, the headless horseman and the grim reaper.

Along Wilson Ave., there’s a scene in which a skeleton Jimmy Kimmel interviews other skeletons.

One home has an elaborate ensemble of aliens abducting a cow.

But one spooky set up rises above the rest, attracting visitors who stop to snap photos of the decorations. It’s the home of Dob Troutman and his husband Kevin Byrne.

Byrne conceives and crafts all the decorations by hand. This year the display features “spooky spirits” who appear to hover above the front yard.

“It’s got these really cool almost dementor looking guys floating around coming out of the house,” said Brake.

The spirits are suspended by fishing line and well-camouflaged support poles, giving the sense that they’re floating around the bungalow.

“I love that we’re a known destination for Halloween and it’s great,” Troutman said.

The two have become well-known for their festive decorations over the years. In the past they’ve displayed a horde of Zombies, a six-foot skeleton head coming out of the ground, and an entire scene from the film, The Nightmare Before Christmas.

“The only real challenge we have,” Troutman said, “is where do we store these things for the years that we’re not using them?