Home is Where the Haunt Is

There are horrors outside Glen McClure’s house.

There’s a crew of skeletal pirates on the front lawn. There’s a mummy draped in chains.

There are a skeleton bride and groom on the roof.

There's an aged skeleton in a cage on the lawn. And a werewolf. And more. 

Welcome to 3139 Seven Springs Boulevard, located just outside Land O' Lakes.

The creatures are fake, of course. They’re sculptures. Decorations.

The artistry seen in this outdoor display is real.

This is the 23^rd year McClure, 54, has hosted the menagerie of monstrosities and creeps outside his home at this location in celebration of Halloween.

The display is full of decorations that are McClure's creations. But he didn't create all the menaces haunting the yard. He's bought props at a discount or found them.

He’s known to lurk among the decorations at night, in costume. You might find him doing so this year. On Oct. 31, a group of others usually join him in costume in his yard to scare the kids and give out candy.

McClure doesn’t really like scary movies. He doesn’t like gore in film. He turns his yard haunted to have fun and scare people.

He started making Halloween decorations before moving to his home on Seven Springs Boulevard. The holiday has been a home-made affair since he was a child. He would make his costumes, dressing as a hobo or scarecrow.

You can still see some of his early creatures in his yard.

The mummy stands near a palm tree.

“This guy’s 30 years old,” McClure said. "The first one I made."

A witch, another early creation, tops the palm.

The haunted cabin with a witch on the porch and skeletons in the windows is a new addition this year at the house this year. It’s a façade built with pallet lumber donated by McClure's workplace, Tibbets Lumber in Land O' Lakes. He’s still adding to it.

Glen McClure's house has been in the newspaper. It's easily recognizable in the neighborhood.

Stephanie McClure, Glen’s daughter, lives at the house. She’s 14 and a freshman at Mitchell High School.

“I see them through my window, and that freaks me out,” she said.

She has joined the Halloween fun since she was young. She has dressed as a witch. And an evil queen. She doesn't know what she'll be this year.

“I don’t go trick or treating at all,” she said. “I normally just stay here.”

And when Halloween has passed, the decorations are wrapped and put in storage.

"They stack 'em," McClure said. "Just like lumber."

See McClure's yard decorations at 3139 Seven Springs Blvd., New Port Richey, through Halloween. Visit them at night to get to the full effect. And it's all free.