Roy Jensen’s home on Fort Hamilton Parkway near Seventh Avenue, known to many as Bay Ridge’s “holiday house,” gets decked out for just about every occasion, but Halloween is an especially spooky treat.
The eerie display features gory handmade silicone masks from a movie prop company adorning the front door, alongside scary clowns, pirates, witches, gargoyles, a werewolf, and iconic characters like Darth Vader, Frankenstein’s monster and Chucky. Hundreds of pumpkins and potted mums complete the “spooktacular” scene, while Halloween lights and smoke machines add a sinister atmosphere at night.
Jensen began decorating his home in 1989 after purchasing it. He goes all out for Halloween and other holidays like Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, the Fourth of July and Christmas, saying it brings him joy and makes people happy.
Jensen starts putting up his Halloween decorations, which change every year, on Sept. 1. It takes about two weeks to transform his home into a fright fest. He told Brooklyn Paper that thousands of visitors stop by, and he hands out about 250 pounds of candy on Halloween.
“People go nuts when they see it,” Jensen said. “They’ve never seen anything like this.”
The holiday aficionado recalled some of his favorite guests, including a 90-year-old woman who once told him his home made her day.
“That really inspires me,” Jensen said. “The adults really appreciate it because it brings back a lot of memories.”
He added that professional decorators from Dyker Heights — the southern Brooklyn neighborhood known for its iconic holiday lights — have even asked him to decorate for them, but he says, “I have enough of my own.”
“I’m retired, so I enjoy doing it,” he added. “It’s actually a full-time job.”
Jensen already has plans for his Christmas display, which will feature characters like Minions, Stormtroopers and Darth Vader. As soon as Halloween is over, he begins decking the halls for wintertime.
“This is like Disney,” Jensen said. “Everything changes quickly. In two days, all this will be gone.”
Local mom Nina walks past Jensen’s home every day with her daughter Anja on their way to the playground.
“It’s the best place,” Nina told Brooklyn Paper during an Oct. 17 visit to Jensen’s home. “Every year, they have something special. This year, they have a lot of stuff. It’s an amazing place.”
