As the night of Halloween draws nearer, neighborhoods have seen more ghoulish gatherings and creepy characters coming to life to create haunted houses.
Perfectly happy suburban homes have been transformed into spooky spectacles that tell tales of zombies, ghosts, ghouls, vampires, witches and plenty more. Some of these Halloween displays incorporate lights that dance to music, animatronics that come to life and graveyards full of tombstones. Others play on nightmares and stir up clinical cases of the heebie jeebies.
For our fourth annual Orlando Sentinel Spooky Awards, we’re highlighting 20 haunted homes that stand out during the 2025 Halloween season.
Creepy Castle
The hard work of Tony Evans and his son is on full display for a larger-than-life spooky spectacle in Celebration. A normal house has been transformed into a castle of Halloween with a moon in the background, a graveyard, an animatronic band, a mad scientist’s lab and even the mystery machine complete with Scooby Doo and the gang. Many elements are handmade or customized to fit the display.
Address: 205 Celebration Blvd. in Celebration
Ghoulish Gathering
There’s a ghoulish gathering happening in the front yard of the Plaisted family’s Celebration home. The macabre meet-up includes skeletons, a scarecrow with a scythe and ghouls of all sizes. Set on one of Celebration’s main roads, the home has received many compliments from passersby.
Address: 231 Celebration Blvd. in Celebration
Devil Went Down to Davenport
While this Davenport dancing display has made the list of the Orlando Sentinel’s Twinkly Awards several years in a row, Jeff Banbor’s home lights up for more than one holiday. Lights pulse to the music, characters sing along and spotlights shine into the night with a playlist that includes an a cappella cover of The Haunted Mansion’s “Grim Grinning Ghosts,” Rob Zombie’s “Dragula” and even “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”
Address: 7237 Mystic Brook Way in Davenport
Nightmares Unleashed
Four distinct nightmares — radioactive spiders, cannibal clowns, a cemetery coven and a pumpkin harvest of souls — come to life in the front yard of Jeff Earley and Kevin Cichon. Visitors can see a gothic cemetery complete with a hand-built wall, a headless horseman, figures with glowing eyes that tower over the yard and a funhouse clown set. Be on the lookout for “easter eggs” that pay tribute to classic horror films as well. All of this is the product of months of hard work that went into this extravagant Halloween display, complete with fog machines and dramatic lighting over the whole front lawn.
Address: 2119 E. Jefferson St. in Orlando
Handmade Halloween
George Case’s lawn is packed with wooden Halloween cutouts: black cats, skeletons, werewolves and ghouls of all shapes and sizes. One of the highlights is Boo, the ghost that’s afraid of his own shadow. The decorations were lovingly handmade from wood and, in many cases, painted by Case’s late wife, Beatrice, to whom he dedicates this display. At 88 years old, the longtime Orlando resident still does what he can each year to help the neighborhood get into the Halloween spirit.
Address: 1901 Mosher Drive in Orlando
Miskatonic University
The home of Becky Schaff and Jason Jakubowski takes inspiration from horror and fantasy writer H.P. Lovecraft. Visitors can see Cthulu, a skeleton with an octopus on its head, and the gates to Miskatonic University, the fictional institution that’s home to an extensive collection of occult books.
Address: 1401 Henry Balch Drive in Orlando
Coven Companions
On a quiet street near Orlando’s Mills 50 neighborhood, there’s a sinister scene unfolding. A pair of skeletons hauls a body bag through a creepy cemetery; meanwhile, ghouls and spirits lurk and hover in the air. A witch coven also gathers around a cauldron with more than just a hint of mischief in the air.
Address: 913 N. Thornton Ave. in Orlando
Enchanted Lanterns
During the Halloween season, Shawn and Ryan Tofte’s house illuminates with a cool blue hue cast over the home while jack-o’-lanterns provide a warm glow on the porch. Although they rest under the watchful eye of a caretaker, a few of the pumpkins have been known to come to life, singing and telling playful tales.
Address: 1412 Ferris Ave. in Orlando
Mower Murder
While lawnmowers are typically used for landscaping, they can also be used for lopping off limbs, as seen in the display at a suburban Orlando home on South Fern Creek Avenue. One skeleton is mowing right over another, which is being sucked into the blades. Another skeleton is tending to a bucket of slime; meanwhile, towering figures watch over the yard.
Address: 3733 S. Fern Creek Ave. in Orlando
Haunting of Lost Lake
Joe Choss has been decorating his front yard for more than 20 years with the help of his son. At their previous house, they built a full haunted trail. Now, a light-up spider web is a focal point of the yard, which also includes floating ghouls, skeletons, gravestones and a mummy. Many of the features are handmade.
Address: 8327 Lost Lake Drive in Orlando
RIP FastPass
David Swerzenski’s front yard is filled to the brim with Halloween decor, including a towering werewolf, skeleton, a floating witch and more creepy characters. But the “hallowed grounds” also serve as the final resting place to Orlando’s closed attractions, shows and more. Find gravestones for Poseidon’s Fury, Dueling Dragons, FastPass, The Great Movie Ride, Back to the Future, Earthquake and many more.
Address: 11919 Allamanda Court in Orlando
Bates Motel
Zan Bates took inspiration from his own last name when crafting his front yard display themed after the movie “Psycho.” The film focuses on murders that take place at the Bates Motel. The scenes come to life in Bates’ front yard display, which also includes a cemetery with a grave for Florida Man. Inscribed on the tombstone: “Here, Hold My Beer!”
Address: 4042 Conway Place Circle in Orlando
Chill in the Air
Inflatables take the spotlight in this display crafted by Jordan Alderman, which is completed with spooky fog. See several versions of Frankenstein, handmade gravestones, spiders on the roof, vampires and a separate pumpkin patch full of orange decor.
Address: 7604 Country Run Parkway in Orlando
Williams Holiday House
For years, the home of the Williams family has been known for extravagant Christmas and Halloween displays. This year, guests can find a Haunted Mansion set with the hitchhiking ghosts, a backyard cemetery, a tent with a three-headed dog, a maze filled with clowns, a mad scientist’s lab and even Star Wars characters.
Address: 15304 E. Oakland Ave. in Winter Garden
A Spooky Spectacle
This Central Florida holiday display by Randeeh and Grace Cruz might be visible from space. With thousands of LED lights that can be individually programmed and spotlights on the roof, the Lights on Cavender Creek presents a light show with a playlist of Halloween-themed songs, including a popular track from “KPop Demon Hunters” and an Ozzy Osbourne medley. Visitors can scan a QR code on location to select their favorite song and see fog-filled bubbles on the weekends.
Address: 1362 Cavender Creek Road in Minneola
Hours: 7-9:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 7-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday
Sleeping with the Fishes
A swashbuckling gang of pirates has landed in Altamonte Springs with a skeleton crew spearheaded by Davy Jones himself. See a life-sized pirate ship in the front yard of James Henderson, complete with fog trickling out of the cannons.
Address: 404 Oakhurst St. in Altamonte Springs
Scallywag Central
Three families in Maitland have teamed up for a pirate-themed display that starts with a massive pirate ship complete with flags, a lookout and a cannon all staffed by skeletons. The next house plays host to the “Scallywag Saloon,” where any misbehaving skeleton pirates are sent to the jail next door. That element, which also includes a cemetery, completes the trifecta of pirate skeleton displays.
Address: 2006 Mohican Trail in Maitland
Ghoulishly Glowing
The historic home of Rhett Delaney and his family doesn’t have a large fake cemetery or skeletons towering over the yard, but it does have clean, colorful lights that add to the ambiance of Halloween along Aloma Avenue in Winter Park. With light-up bats and a spider, it’s just the right touch to accent the home’s stature. If the installation looks professional, it’s because it was done by Johannessen Lights, a company that specializes in holiday lighting.
Address: 1331 Aloma Ave. in Winter Park
Terrifying Theaters
In Windermere, A.J. Martinez has a haunted house that has taken over his family’s two-car garage every year since he and his wife moved to Central Florida in 2019. Experience the “Silver Scream — Cursed,” which brings horror characters from favorite films to life. Animatronics lurch at guests as they walk through scenes from theater to theater.
Address: 13161 Vennetta Way in Windermere
Hours: 7:30-10 p.m. Oct. 24-25 and Oct. 31-Nov. 1 (open until 11 p.m. on Halloween)
More Info: storytellerhaunt.wixsite.com/storytellerhaunt
Laureate Park Lights
In a Halloween spectacle that’s sweet, synchronized and a little spooky, Laureate Park Lights aims to dazzle the Lake Nona community with lights that dance to music. See singing pumpkins, dancing spiders, glistening ghouls, bats and more in this animated showcase of seasonal spirit. This year’s playlist features music from “Wicked” and songs by the Grateful Dead, The Doors and Taylor Swift.
Address: 8195 Upper Perse Circle in Orlando
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