Pam Lundgren’s handmade “The Nightmare Before Christmas” Halloween yard decorations are a spectacle to behold.
For years, her ever-expanding Halloween creations have delighted trick-or-treaters of all ages at her home just north of Sitting Bull Academy, her family said.
A tour of her Apple Valley yard and garage is comparable to a Disney park, Universal Studios Hollywood, or on a movie set.
This is Halloween
Most of Lundgren’s creations are Inspired by the characters in the 1993 Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” film, including Pumpkin King Jack Skellington, the insect-filled Oogie Boogie and rag doll Sally, who all reside in Halloween Town
Lundgren’s collections also include Hitchhiking Ghosts, Phineas, Ezra and Gus, a trio of happy haunts that are most recognizable from the Walt Disney Company’s Haunted Mansion franchise.
Lundgren’s two-car garage includes a pajama-wearing Jack Skellington near a Christmas tree and Dr. Finkelstein,a wheelchair-bound mad scientist who created Sally and his wife, Jewel Finkelstein.
A Christmas tree, an electric chair, Oogie Boogie and his little henchmen, Lock, Shock, and Barrel, with the kidnapped Santa Claus can also be found.
“The garage was quite the undertaking, with all the decorations, characters and lights,” said Pam’s husband, Mike Lundgren. “It’s quite the attention-getter from the street.”
Pam Lundgren said that her son-in-law, Randy LaClair, lends a hand in creating the yard decorations.
“He’s an excellent drawer so I give him a picture of what I want and he takes a board and makes it happen,” the 73-year-old woman said. “He was the one who drew the Haunted Mansion group.”
Pam has created over 30 pieces of Halloween yard art with materials such as wood and styrofoam, purchased online at Hobby Lobby or The Home Depot.
“About five years ago, I finally watched the nightmare movie and I loved the characters so much that I decided to make them for Halloween,” she said. “I started out small by making the evil-looking killer duck, then worked my way up from there.”
400 trick-or-treaters
Th decorations have drawn big crowds on Halloween night, with kids and adults looking to see what characters Pam has created, said Karry LaClair, Pam’s daughter.
“We usually have about 400 kids stop by for trick-or-treat,” Karry said.
Visitors on Halloween night can expect to see Pam’s newest creation, a 7-foot tall Halloween Town fountain, which includes a scaly creature looking as if it’s spewing green liquid.
“The fountain was a huge project that took me three months to complete,” Pam said. “It fits perfectly inside the single-car garage.”
Haunted Mansion
There won’t be a Halloween tour inside the couple’s dark and candlelit home, which resembles Disney’s Haunted Mansion, with a hint of Christmas.
Inside the Lundgren’s home, a life-sized figure of a creepy butler welcomes visitors to a dining room where the table is set for several ghostly guests.
Several glowing candles and jack-o’-lanterns illuminate the home, where large photos of Jack hang over a Halloween-themed Christmas tree, where Sally and Jack figurines stand as if ready to exchange vows.
Artistic Halloween madness
Pam chuckled when she admitted that her husband thinks she’s crazy for spending time and money on her artistic Halloween madness.
“Mike is actually a huge help in designing and figuring out how to put all the decorations up outside,” Pam said. “He’s more of an engineer while I’m the imaginer.”
Pam also admitted that each year, she has thought “This is the last year” for creating and setting up decorations mainly because she’s getting older and physical tasks are harder to do.
“The one thing that keeps me going is my love for kids,” Pam said. “I see them every Halloween, wearing their costumes and smiling up the driveway. That’s when I know all this hard work is worth it.”
Lundgren’s decorations can be seen through Halloween night at 13191 Paraiso Road in Apple Valley.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz