If you walk down Bay View’s Clement Avenue this month, you won’t be able to miss this massive, ambitious and pun-tastic display. A&J’s Halloween House (2943 S. Clement Ave.) has returned with “Wheel of MisFortune,” a devilish re-imagining of the game show classic.
The neighborhood home has become a Bay View spooky season tradition since 2004, when the couple who owns it, Andy Reid and Jamie Beauchamp-Reid, first decorated for Halloween. “The decorations have gotten much bigger over the years,” Beauchamp-Reid says, and the man ain’t lying. We’re talking a creepy circus filled with demon-clowns and crashed ice trucks (2021), Ghostbusters saving the world (2020) and more.
“[The game show theme] is something we’ve been bouncing around for 10 or 12 years now,” Beauchamp-Reid says. They considered doing “HollyWeird Squares” or maybe a spin on “The Price Is Right” (allow us to suggest “The Price is Fright”) – but eventually landed on this “Wheel of Fortune” parody.
Elvira takes the place of Vanna White in this version of the show, with contests made up of Hollywood horror icons. This week, you’ll spot Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy and The Wolfman, but that’ll change next week when a new series of animatronic ghouls steps up to compete. Every Monday until Halloween, a new puzzle will be placed on the board, along with new contestants. Each day of the week, Reid and Beauchamp-Reid will reveal a few new letters, until the puzzle is solved on Friday.
Passersby are also welcome to partake in the ghastly game. With the help of a graphic designer friend, the couple built a large motorized wheel in the style of the show. (The motor is currently down, so contestants have to put in a little elbow grease if they want to get the wheel moving.) With a spin of the wheel, you stand the chance to win such prizes as “Death.” Or perhaps a camping trip to Camp Crystal Lake or a night at the Overlook Hotel.
A nearby skeletal contestant watches the action from the comfort of a recliner, with a TV dinner on his tray. (Bonus points if you can identify the horror classic origin of his meal.)
The display is no easy feat. Beauchamp-Reid says the couple starts purchasing animatronics, costumes and more pieces early in the year. “It took us easily two solid months to build this,” he says. “We started on August 1st.”
Visitors to the wildly decorated yard are welcome to donate to a collection box for Pathfinders, an organization supporting youth facing homelessness, abuse, trafficking and other issues.
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