Zimmermans bring Halloween thrills with haunted home

Oct. 29—Frankenstein's Monster is stretched out on the porch, electrodes wired to his neck. Two ghoulish doctors stand over him, snarling twisted smiles. A little girl, looking so much like "The Exorcist's" Regan MacNeil, hangs mid-skitter on the ceiling, her hair dangling downward. In the front yard, a skeletal dinner party is underway and a witches cauldron is bubbling something wicked.

Welcome to the home of Brian and Gayla Zimmerman.

The Zimmermans, 122 10th St., are ready for Halloween, their yard, porch and house taken over by the things nightmares are made of.

"I've been decorating like this for maybe the last 25 years," Brian Zimmerman said. "I started with one figure and now this is what I've got." He gestured across his yard full of spooks.

"Probably half (of the collection) isn't being used," he said. "Luckily I have a big house with a big attic and a big basement."

Both he and his wife grew up watching Sammy Terry host scary movies during "Nightmare Theater" on Friday nights. Zimmerman said he loved the Universal Monsters, the depictions of Dracula, The Wolfman and Frankenstein that haunted movies screens in the 1930s through '50s. He also appreciated some science fiction such as "Alien" and "Predator."

Like children, his cast of creepy characters are equal in his eyes. But he was excited to show off Frankenstein's Monster and an old fortuneteller's booth. He said a Chrysler engineer had made both props and used them in a Relay for Life event.

"It's kind of odd," Zimmerman laughed, thinking of their previous purpose. But he happily bought the items when they both came up for sale.

The booth came with an animatronic devil inside it. This year Zimmerman replaced it with a cackling clown.

"It's an animated clown that just laughs," he said. "The kids are gonna love it."

Zimmerman said he's not into the decorating to petrify trick-or-treaters. It's just to provide a little fun.

"We live in not-a-great world," he said. "A little good is not a bad thing."

He goes to the same extremes for Christmas and Easter. He said the biggest chore is putting up all the Halloween decorations and getting started with Christmas. He likes to have most of his Christmas lights ready for Thanksgiving.

But Halloween decorating still isn't complete yet. Zimmerman will pull out the finishing touches to his terrifying tableau over the next few nights. He said the display will remain up through Halloween, even though Trick or Treat hours have been set for 6 until 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, October 28 and 29.

"We enjoy doing this for (Logansport)," Zimmerman said. "It's nice to have something you enjoy doing that other people enjoy as well. That's the biggest thrill."