Mike Daniels, 69 Darrow Dr., Warwick
IKE DANIELS’S SCHEDULE IS
pretty scary. In between running up to
110 miles a week, working as a painting
contractor, playing in metal bands and
coaching track and field and girls’ cross
country at Pilgrim High School, he also
puts on a pretty neat Halloween display. He’s loved decorating
for the holiday ever since he was ten years old and, as an adult,
he’s appeared in haunts like Field of Screams and other New
England attractions.
That’s what led him to create a haunted display in his own
front yard. He gathers plywood and other materials to paint
a different theme each Halloween; last year, it was UFOs and
aliens. He hasn’t revealed the 2020 theme yet, but it’s sure to
surprise, and it will be set to music that’s timed with an LED
lights display.
To enjoy the show, you don’t even have to get out of your
car. Tune your radio to 89.7 and his haunted soundtrack will
reverberate through your speakers. But if you want to social
distance on the grounds, you can hear the music that way,
too. “You can sit in the car and look out the windows and
listen to it from there,” Daniels says.
Each song takes him about ten to twelve hours to design,
as he has to sync the lights to the rhythm of the music using
a special program called Light-o-Rama.
It makes him happy to put in the work each year and see
everyone’s reaction to it once it’s unveiled. He’s been known
to hide amongst the display so he can catch people’s authentic
expressions.
“I love the reaction to it. Some people get scared, some
don’t,” Daniels says. “I feel like I am reaching out and spreading
joy to people. People look forward to going out and having
that break to enjoy the displays.”
The Daniels Halloween House can be found on Facebook,
and Daniels also collects volunteer donations for the nonprofit,
Spirit of Children, through the display.
“One hundred percent goes to children’s hospitals, to make
hospitals less scary for kids,” he says.