After 'Stranger Things' Display, Marvel Taps Plainfield Couple For 'Wolverine' Set Piece

PLAINFIELD, IL — Marvel Studios is a larger-than-life production company known around the world. It has a tie to Plainfield through the horror-loving couple Aubrey and David Appel.

Earlier this summer, Marvel released the latest iteration in its cinematic universe, "Deadpool & Wolverine," a crossover between the two titular characters. The movie hit theaters on July 26 and has so far made $1.3 billion globally at the box office (and counting, since it's still showing in some theaters).

To mark the movie hitting digital sites, Marvel reached out to a handful of creators, ultimately choosing the Appels to create Logan, the chrome Wolverine skeleton seen in the opening scene of "Deadpool & Wolverine."

The couple may not have yet had the chance to watch the movie — "because we are so busy with the display and building for our haunt," Dave told Patch — but they "went down to the finest details" to recreate the skeleton.

"From his leftover beard hair to small bits of skin to the way his teeth were colored versus his chrome skeleton to the branch that was stuck through his chest from the end of 'Logan,' we wanted to try and make sure to capture everything from the all the Wolverine and Deadpool lore," he said.

The couple posted a video on Instagram revealing how they made the prop.

You might recognize the Appels: Their home struck TikTok fame in 2022 when the husband-and-wife duo began posting videos on their TikTok account, @horrorprops, of their otherworldly "Stranger Things" display featuring a figure, dressed as the character Max suspended in air. One video showing the floating Max amassed more than 14.5 million views.

RELATED: Plainfield Floating 'Stranger Things' Display, TikTok Sensation Here To Stay

After the display catapulted the couple to fame, Dave and Aubrey were seeing visitors before their haunt was even ready for visitors, he explained.

"We essentially had to put a line in the sand and say we're not going to be able to build or set up anymore this year," Dave continued. "There were too many people all the time. ... For one little story, someone had sat in the chair we had just painted and was covered in paint, and we [decided] this is better if we just stop right now."

So come 2023, floating Max returned, this time surrounded by a fully complete haunt.

This year, "Infested Oaks" — as their house is named in the Chicago Haunt Builders database — is not decked out with "Stranger Things" references. Instead, the lawn at 1806 Whispering Oaks Court is chock-full of pop culture references, from "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" and "Ghostbusters" to "Alien: Romulus" and "Deadpool & Wolverine," of course.

"It helps people connect with your haunt if you're designing something, you're building something that's very relevant," Dave said. "Because we do our displays for free, the one thing we wanted people to want to come out and see was relevant; you want them to enjoy what's going on currently.

"Following that kind of pop culture trend seems to be something that we'll continue doing; it makes it a lot more fun."

Since the hype over the floating Max display has died down, the couple hasn't set allocated visitation times, instead allowing visitors to experience the haunt at any time of day, seven days a week. But to see it fully in action, it's best to visit after dusk when the animatronics, lights and fog are turned on.

Locals and out-of-towners have until Halloween to witness "Infested Oaks." On Nov. 1, the decor will start to come down in cooperation with the area's homeowner's association rules.

Fans of the Appels' work have a second display they can visit. The couple put together a free mini-display at Bronkberry Farms using last year's props and designs. Although it uses "Stranger Things" props, it's designed to look like its own thing.

"It's been fun," Dave said. "A lot of people have visited our home haunt and said, 'We just came from Bronkberry; loved it there, love it here.'"

The haunt will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, the farm's hours of operations, at 18061 S. Bronk Road through Halloween.