Prepare to be scared. Taunton House of Horror takes fright to a new level

TAUNTON — Prepare to be scared at the House of Horror on Anawan Street in Taunton, a project that the homeowner Devon Machado has been planning all year.

From the low frequency sounds sending chills down your spine, to the hand touching you as you walk by the display, to the creepy eyes of the 15-foot tall creatures following your every move, this haunted display will hit all of your senses.

Some of the props will even leave you questioning if the person is real or not, an answer you won’t know until you approach the display, as scare actors are sometimes on site to bring more fright.

“The sounds at night make you feel like you are in another world,” Machado said. “The low frequency that I use elicits fear or an eerie feeling in the human body. When people come into this space, they will feel like they are in the Twilight Zone.”

“You can’t describe the sounds, you have to feel it,” he added. “You get goosebumps it is so eerie.”

More than 50 props including tombstones, ghosts, human height figures and more, are laid out in the yard of Machado’s house. While his front yard is only 30 feet wide and 15 feet deep, he says the space above in the atmosphere is abundant, so he has been focusing on adding more height to the display with creatures floating in the air.

There are demonic ghost figures floating 25 feet in the air and some of the props are taller than his house.

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Sound system takes 'creepy vibes' to next level

Machado, who has dedicated hundreds of hours to the display, said the addition of a new sound system this year is taking the display to the next level.

“I want you to get the creepy vibes. If you are not scared, I am not doing my job,” he said. “But I don’t want them too scared that they run away and lose the experience.”

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Admittedly, Machado said the display this year has “kind of gotten a little out of hand,” adding that the light show will also be a great addition.

The backdrop on the porch will come to life. Rear projections in the upstairs windows will look creepy, making it look like people are trying to escape the house.

There will be real-looking figures and holographic images that will play with one's mind, he said.

The special effects that Machado has added this year will also make it look like a moving ceiling above you on the street.

He is using some of these high standard special effects for the first time, but his experience as a DJ has helped tremendously.

On Halloween night he will be operating the sounds, lights and fog himself. It is all personalized to the crowd that is in attendance at that time, so he can turn down the haunt if those looking at the props are younger, and turn up the haunt if those looking are older.

“This is more of a production than a display. The lights and sounds being played, when they are being played, are all intentional,” he added.

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Designing the display

He has been decorating for Halloween on Anawan Street for the last four years, amping up his game during COVID. He has lived at this home for 12 years.

His design is purposeful and well thought out.

“I take a little bit of a different approach (to design),” he said. “It takes me all year to design the placement of things. Everything has a reason for being in the place that it is. If there is a dark spot, there is probably a body there that is going to scare you.”

Machado, who is an artist, adds a few new pieces each year but is cautious about the materials he uses to make the props and the size of them, as storing the pieces for the remainder of the year needs to be taken into consideration.

Machado uses natural art for the props he constructs, adding he will take reclaimed wood and things he finds to build his creepy designs. He says the natural approach is much more affordable.

Last year a young neighbor suggested Machado make the props even taller and he has taken that advice.

He also uses both conventional and solar lights to cut down on energy consumption and costs.

Machado continues to tweak the design each day, adding new features and props. Before Halloween there will be a few more animatronics put out, projections in the windows and more.

Two stadium-level fog machines near the house's entrance will also add to the display's eeriness.

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Always loved Halloween

Machado, who has lived in Taunton his whole life, has always decorated for Halloween, even decorating his parents' house when he was younger. But the House of Horror has exploded in the last four years.

The 30-year-old also volunteers as a professional scare actor in Salem during the Halloween season.

When in Salem scare acting, Machado is unrecognizable. He towers over people with his 8-inch platform boots, wearing a mask without a mouth, long black attire, and a hat decorated with a rat and bird from a taxidemy store.

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House of Horror on Halloween night

Machado will be in full dress as a scare actor on Halloween night at the House of Horror, passing out misfortunes — orange and black fortune cookies that have misfortunes or unpleasant sayings in them — to the first 200 people. He will also be giving out glow bracelets to kids, as well as full size candy bars.

The special effects that night will be automated by Machado in real time, not planned.

“I play to the people who show up,” he said. “If kids show up I change the music. Everything I do is tailored to the type of person I want to scare. I don’t want it to be boring.”

He is not sure how many scare actors will perform on Halloween night, but onlookers be warned.

Future endeavors

Machado has already started planning his haunted display for next year but also hopes to open a professional year-round haunted house business in the near future, one that is immersive and includes haunted escape rooms.

“I want to innovate the industry of horror,” he said. “I am not going for the traditional haunted house. It will be more than just Halloween.”

His vision includes tailoring the haunted rooms to different holidays and seasons, using augmented reality, AI headsets and more.

“This is what makes me happy. I just don’t see myself doing anything else,” he said. “This is an artform, a passion project that I eventually want to make into a business.”

“I am the new era of horror and having fun is where it is at.”

House of Horror schedule

Display duration: until Oct. 31

General lighting effects (atmospheric lighting, regular floor lights): 

Until October 31: Monday through Thursday, 6:30 – 10 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, 6:30 – 11 p.m.

Sound effects and music (weather permitting), including animatronics, thunder, low frequency stuff: 

Until Oct. 31: Monday through Thursday, 6:30 - 8 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, 6:30 - 9 p.m.

Cryptic light show (weather permitting):

Until Oct. 31: Monday through Thursday, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.

Reminders that this is a display only, no walkthrough, and people are asked to remain on the sidewalk and respect the cones set up to guide you. Street parking only and be mindful not to block intersections or driveways.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Halloween House of Horror on Anawan Street in Taunton sure to scare