MULTI-LAWN ATTRACTION + LIGHT SHOWS:
10/01-10/31 From 6:00-10:00pm
HALLOWEEN NIGHT FEATURES:
Hauntings & Bonus Treats for Younger Ghouls. HISTORY:
The Farina family has a long-standing tradition with the holidays, especially Halloween and Christmas. As children, they invited their neighbors into their home for haunted houses, games, and parties. Inspired by their Uncle Bob Micai, founder of Micai's Christmas Wonderland, the family expanded their creations into the Hamilton Elks Halloween parties, and Steps and Pirouettes Dance Studio's haunted house. A modest display manifested itself in 1999. Over the years, more frightfully, fantastic ghouls have crept their way into the display. Some of these are handcrafted by the Frightmaster himself. In 2011, Vincent added a haunted soundtrack, complete with lightning effects that were well-received by viewers.
2012 was in jeopardy with the arrival of Hurricane Sandy. Vincent and his fright crew worked feverishly to disassemble the display before the storm. When it was announced that Halloween would be held at a later date, the crew re-assembled the display in an effort to raise the spirits of the community. In 2013, the display was suspended for Vincent's marriage to his ghoul-friend, Deb, in October. After a year's hiatus, the display rose again in a new, larger location in Hamilton, NJ.
2014 brought the neighborhood Scarbux Zombie Café, a short walkthrough with both tricks AND treats. Our cast of zombies creeped out to MJ's Thriller, thrilling the crowds and even a few police officers.
2015's Halloween night invited you into Araneae's Lair, a throne room fit for a queen. Well, a spider queen. Her spider pet, 24-feet-wide, decorated the lair with the cocooned remains of visitors past, but left enough time to walk outside and mingle with some of their guests.
2016 introduced spirited light shows every few minutes throughout the month. On Halloween night, you could tour the Haunted Hallways, a dark and interactive walkthrough. Featuring a ghoulish family tree of portraits, there were plenty of ghosts to welcome you, including the graveyard's newest denizen, The Creeper!
2017's Corridors of Chaos was our most frightening walkthrough to date. There was a mausoleum, ghosts that seemingly appeared from nowhere, and a path forcing you to push through ghouls that were just “hanging around”. The graveyard featured the crypt of Count Mortula. The Countess, not wanting to miss the masquerade, tried to free her husband, but the groundskeeper put up quite a struggle.
2018 welcomed Madame Luna and her Den of Spirits, including some very creepy hide-and-seekers. The graveyard was teeming with ghouls transported by our very own reaper: the Ankou! Standing high atop his horse-drawn cart, he and our giant scarecrow (emphasis on SCARE) were quite imposing. Special thanks to our new friends at The Hamilton Post and WPST for writing excellent articles about the Frightmare.
2019 had twice the graveyards and almost twice the music, as the Frightmare expanded, adding a Zombie Invasion to our neighbors at 7 Moro Drive. We introduced some new friends, like our new band Tony Bones and the Skele-Bobs, as well as Bentley the Butler, and a pair of mischievous tombstone hide-and-seekers. The Monsters’ Quad, hosted by Luna the Librarian, tributed “The Monster Squad”, a favorite 80s movie, which in itself was a salute to the classic Universal monsters. We made some new friends, thanks to the Hamilton Happenings Facebook group, making for an amazing Halloween.
2020 once again doubled the size of the lawn attraction, encompassing haunting displays at 4 addresses on Moro Drive: a haunted forest, an updated graveyard, a monster playground, and a boatload of zombies not welcome at a skeleton beach resort. With help from News 12 NJ, NJ.com, MidJersey.News, and WPST, we spread the Halloween spirit to more new friends than ever before. Halloween night saw a "treat drive-thru" and a fantastic block party, Moro-style!
2021 featured a new Egyptian theme, complete with a pyramid, obelisks, and tons of mummies. There was even a snake charmer that was unaware he awoke the cobra Apep, Egyptian god of chaos!
2022's Halloween night was a thank you to one of our inspirations, Disney's The Haunted Mansion. Our tribute included Madame Leota, Hitchhiking Ghosts, the Bride, the Hatbox Ghost, and even Doom Buggy Photo Ops. News12 NJ spent Halloween morning doing live broadcasts which showcased each of the Frightmare's 4 yard displays, exploring the history, details, backstories, and the neighborly spirit that makes Moro Drive and our attractions so unique.
2023 allowed the Frightmare the luxury of 5 lawns, including a new scene featuring a group of famous paranormal eliminators. Halloween night added to the scene with a couple of their co-workers and some infamous ghosts to bust.
2024 added a new Crooked Crypt, with homages to some of our favorite Burton-esque movies, including cameos by Betelgeuse and friends.
2025 introduced you to a new family from the Addams clan. IT was nice that Halloween fell on a Friday, not WEDNESDAY. Plenty of folks LURCHed by enjoying the evening, maybe even a few MORTICIAns. Moro Drive was quite the THING to see! Hope to see you in 2026!
