A Unique Halloween Display In West Babylon

WEST BABYLON, NY — This Halloween season, both trick or treaters and art aficionados are in for a treat thanks to a unique display at a home on Old Farmingdale Road in West Babylon.

The seasonal decorations incorporate some typical Halloween standbys such as faux gravestones, creepy spiders and webs, and semi-buried body parts. But the highlight of the project is a backlit window display, created entirely from original materials, which changes colors every 10 seconds.

Created by Maggie Cunningham, a 2014 Babylon High School graduate, the entire project is powered by the sun, as the home relies on rooftop solar panels, and lawn- based spotlights for the display utilize individual solar panels. Cunningham is also an alumnus of SUNY New Paltz, where she majored in theatre production and design, with an emphasis on lighting, sound and set design. The aspiring designer first got the idea for the display during the extended downtime which the pandemic provided.

The artist describes her feelings about the project: “I have a lot of fun decorating for the holidays- especially Halloween. However, I wanted to try something different with the Halloween decorations. It started with one witch in the window and then spiraled out from there. Now almost all my front windows are covered in silhouettes made from newspaper and black poster board.

"This year, I added more lights and a few new props like package tape ghosts and a corpse wrapped in spiderweb being eaten by a spider. I encourage people to explore all the aspects of the display so they can get the full effect. I hope people like my display and perhaps it can give them a fun break from the difficult year we’ve all had.”