Check out our newest photos!

We have new photos of Spirits on Sproat props and characters ready for you to gawk at.

Check out the latest snapshots by clicking here.

Svengoolie loves Spirits on Sproat!

Your friendly neighborhood Spirits on Sproat owner was thrilled to recently meet Svengoolie, everybody's favorite horror movie host (check out his show every Saturday night from 9-11 p.m. on WCIU Channel 26; visit Svengoolie.com for more details).

Svengoolie (a ka Rich Koz) was nice enough to even sign a poster for Spirits on Sproat, which he affectionately wrote is "my favorite Halloween house."

So there you have it--we've gotten the seal of approval from the master of scare-imonies himself, Svengoolie!

Spirits on Sproat featured in Chicago Parent Magazine

Your favorite neighborhood Halloween display is spotlighted in the new October issue of Chicago Parent Magazine.

Written by the creator of Spirits on Sproat, this fun feature article gives how-to tips on building your own home haunt.

You can read the story here.

Spirits on Sproat opens Oct. 5

Halloween is right around the corner--and so is the opening date of the 2012 edition of Spirits on Sproat: The Gallery of the Dead. We go live on Friday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m., and we're ready to debut several new scary props!

For the full schedule and directions to our display, click here.

Big things coming to Spirits on Sproat in 2012!

Hard to believe, but Halloween is only a few weeks away! And Spirits on Sproat is planning appropriately. We're busy making several new monsters for you to enjoy in 2012, so make your plans to visit our display, which will officially open on the first weekend in October (dates/times to be announced soon).

Also, our home haunt will be featured in the October installment of Chicago Parent Magazine, so keep an eye out for the issue publishing soon, available free at various locations such as the Oak Lawn Community Pavilion and public library.

Thanks to all for a great Halloween

It was another great Halloween season at Spirits on Sproat...thanks especially to those who helped make our neighborhood attraction so special. Hats off to our 2011 scare team, including Larry, Mark, Kyle, and Andrew.

We hope everyone enjoyed their visits to Spirits on Sproat, and we look forward to boo-ing it--we mean doing it--again next year. Happy Halloween to one and all!

Spook spotlight: Michael Myers 2.0

Yes, it's true that we featured Michael Myers in an earlier post this month. But we swear, he must have a twin brother--one with more scars on his face and steam in his stride. Truth is, the original Mr. Myers stands as still as a statue on our lawn, although he's always poised to strike when you least suspect.

This doppelganger (pictured) is more like the Energizer Bunny--he keeps stalking and stalking and stalking...Visit our display on Halloween and chances are you'll have a close encounter with this knife-wielding psycho. But be forewarned: he likes to pop out from behind you.

We never hear Mikey talk, but I once heard him exclaim as he dove out of sight--"Happy Halloween to all, and to all, a good night!"

Thanks for making it one of our best seasons ever. Good luck trick or treating, and, as always, pleasant dreams!

View the official Spirits on Sproat 2011 video

The long-awaited official video for the 2011 Spirits on Sproat yard display is now available for viewing. Click on the video below to watch...and Happy Halloween!

Spook spotlight: Meet the ambiguous vampire sidekick

Here's a guy who blends in with the crowd--literally. We've never caught his proper name, because he seems to blow with the wind and disappear when you least expect. He oozes Halloween attitude, but frankly he's a real pain in the neck. Still, we'll have to properly christen him someday--maybe after we drive a stake through his heart. If you've got any good suggestions for a moniker for this monstrosity, feel free to pass them along.

We'd give you more of a lowdown on this undead dude, with talking points to spare, but he prefers to keep a low profile.

Spook spotlight: Meet Jigsaw

He's a puzzle wrapped in an enigma shrouded in mystery--he's none other than Jigsaw, the impossibly cute, red bow tie-wearing diminutive demon from the Saw movies who sure gets a lot of attention for very little screen time. Although at Spirits on Sproat, he gets plenty of screen time, as in window screen, which he peeks out from to leer at hapless visitors who don't suspect they're being watched.

• Little-known fact: The tricycle is just a prop; he actually rides a Harley to and from work
• Weapon of choice: Those hypnotizing red rings on his cheeks
• Secret shame: Is in love with Miss Piggy from the Muppets

Local band Monk 9 to perform at Spirits on Sproat on Oct. 31

Acclaimed Oak Lawn-based band Monk 9 is scheduled to play a 20- to 30-minute outdoor set of original and cover songs at the Spirits on Sproat Halloween yard display on Monday, Oct. 31, Halloween, at 7:30 p.m. (weather permitting).

Come see our display and enjoy an exciting live performance by one of the area's best local acts--a two-piece costumed band that definitely knows how to rock. Monk 9 has been featured on "America's Got Talent" and is making a big name in the south suburbs.

For more info on Monk 9, visit www.Monk9.com.

Spook spotlight: Meet Chucky

Some kids like to cuddle up at night to a teddy bear or a Tickle Me Elmo. But one urchin you won't want to get tucked in with you at night is this Cabbage Patch Doll of the damned. Chucky got only two settings above his battery compartment: Evil and Evil-er (relax, grammarians: little kids don't even know the latter is not a word).

• Secret shame: Has made millions in merchandising royalties, but still sleeps in a cardboard box
• Little known fact: Once lost a fight to Mini Me
• Voted in high school: Are you kidding? This half-pint never made it past preschool.

Spirits on Sproat featured on newspaper front page

Your favorite neighborhood Halloween yard display was spotlighted on the front page of the Oct. 28 edition of the Southwest Suburban News-Herald newspaper.

To view a scan of this page, click on the image below.

Spook spotlight: Meet Resurrection Mary

Legend has it that there's a hitchhiking ghost that haunts the south side. Actually, it's no legend--it's fact, and she's narrowed her territory exclusively to Sproat Avenue. Meet Resurrection Mary, the jilted corpse bride who never got to say "I do," so instead her motto is "I boo." She's got eyes as bright as the flames of hell and a dress to die for. Stare at her too long and you're bound to get a stiff neck (she likes to float around up near the trees).

• Favorite haunts: Archer Avenue, The Willowbrook Ballroom, your car’s passenger seat (eventually)
• Nickname: The hitch-hiking hussy
• Favorite movies: “Runaway Bride,” “My Big Fat Cemetery Wedding”