Exclusive | Halloween already in full swing in Burbank as suburb’s homes transform into haunted houses

On Halloween, nobody in Southern California does it bigger than Burbank.

Homeowners in the Los Angeles suburb are going all out again this year — and preparing for hordes of visitors to flood their streets.

Starting as early as August, city residents begin to decorate their homes with elaborate spooky setups complete with animatronics, massive props, and even live actors who bring the scenes to life. 

The spectacle has gotten so popular that there’s even a map of the neighborhood’s most notable spots: the Burbank Haunt Map.

The map lists 125 destinations throughout the neighborhood. Most of the homes are just drive-by displays. But some homeowners even invite guests into their home for a more immersive experience. 

“It’s like a craving. We can’t stop it. It’s an addiction, said Tina Schaefer, who has been decorating the home she shares with partner Arnulfo Padilla since they moved into the neighborhood 16 years ago. 

This year, the couple decided to ditch their regular castle-themed display for a Pirates of the Caribbean setup, with life-sized pirate ship parts.

“We spend everything that we have. We recycle everything we can. We just put in everything we can,” Schaefer told the California Post of the pricey decorations. 

“There’s been times when we’re just so exhausted that we just want to take a break, but we have so many happy people that look forward to coming and being at our house that we don’t want to let them down.”

This year, residents expect bigger crowds than ever as social media spreads the word. Schaefer says the city has taken a more active role in managing the attraction’s big crowds. 

“We have to do so much more work to make sure that everybody’s happy, our neighbors are happy. That’s very important,” she continued.

Because the haunts are free, the attractions bring scores of families looking for a low-cost seasonal outing.

The large crowds have weighed on some of the neighborhood’s most popular haunts.

In September, one long-time part of the celebration, the Burbank Clown House, announced that they would not be operating this year after failing to find the right location — news that left some fans “devastated.”

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