On Halloween night, Mill Basin locals can visit a spook house right in their own backyard.
One longtime local said every October, her house gets exponentially eerier — and that is just what her neighbors, especially the tiniest terrors, love about her petrifying pad.
“Every year, I like to add something new and dress up as something different to scare the kids,” said Patricia Ward, who has been decorating her house for All Hallows Eve for the past 20 years. “The kids love coming here.”
Ward blasts seasonal tunes such as “The Monster Mash” from her yard while the kids trick-or-treat. But to make sure the kids are really scared, she said she wears very creepy costumes. Ward said her elaborate outfits — complete with stage makeup and wacky wigs — are so disturbing and unlike her everyday self, even her husband is scared.
“My husband hates it — he tells me to wash that stuff off my face. If I have a dark wig on, he wants to rip that off,” said Ward, who was the devil last Halloween and is going to be a witch this year. “I tell everybody, that is my alter ego. I can’t be evil in real life so I’ll be evil on Halloween.”
Halloween is such a special time of year for Ward because she said she loves seeing the youngsters enjoy themselves. She said she gives out at least 50 pounds of candy each year because she knows that is what the kids want.
“I don’t give one or two pieces — I give them handfuls,” she said.
And everyone who is dressed up gets some sugar.
“As long as they’re in a costume,” ward said, “they get candy.”
She said residents shouldn’t worry that she will ever stop decorating for the scary season. Ward said residents don’t have to fear anything — except her house — because she plans to deck out her home for many years to come.
“As long as I’m standing, I’ll be decorating — that is for sure,” she said.
Patricia Ward’s Spook House (2041 E. 54th St. between Avenues T and U in Mill Basin). Oct. 31.
