It’s just about time for my favorite holiday of the year: Halloween. Okay, so I may be jumping the gun a little… but it is less than 40 days away now. (Woohoo!)

Although I’m a self-proclaimed Halloween junkie, my love for this particular evening pales in comparison to my buddy Leo, who lives in San Jose, California. He’s not just one of those guys who hands out candy and occasionally jumps out from the dark to scare the crap out of little kids, this guy goes all out.

Every year Leo literally transforms his 1930s bungalow into a Gothic-style derelict church using a whole-house façade he built himself. The otherwise tropical front garden also gets a makeover into a phantasmagorical scene of the macabre – complete with corpses rising from the dead and other gory scenes. Inside, his entire house is converted into Halloween Party Central, where he annually hosts countless friends and coworkers from all over the country. The living room even becomes a dance floor (complete with a hired DJ). Scarcely a single detail is overlooked – all the way down to the puking skeleton punch dispenser – which spews a blood-red Hurricane mix at an alarming rate. Leo’s a brilliant guy and his mastery of electronics and lighting has enabled him to create a mood and atmosphere that is both fun and grizzly enough to make even the most hardcore horror fan get the heebie-jeebies and have a blast at the same time.

I’m going to miss not being able to attend this year’s bash at Leo’s place, so I’ll have to make do. For now I’m stocking up on decorations, drink recipes, and a few other Halloween supplies through Leo’s website skeletonfoundry.com. Of course, I’ll also have to dig up a few bottles of Werewolf and Vampire wine at Premier, mixers, and loads of some fun beer at Consumers to help set the mood for the party goers on my list this year.

The only thing left for me to do is to find a killer costume… Otherwise, I’m ready to roll!

TAGS [ HALLOWEEN | HALLOWEEN PARTY ]