Screaming good fun

CHENEY – Avast and beware, yea matties, the H.M.S Nemesis is about to sail and fear will be the wind that guides her.

OK, that's corny, but somewhat fitting for the Golden Hills home of the Steve and Kym Grime family - a home that has helped transform the quiet, Steven Speilberg-esque (think the movie, "E.T.") Field of Dreams subdivision into a "Field of Screams."

The Grimes' have been opening their home to a variety of ghouls, goblins, monsters and other horror features since 2009 - inviting adventurous trick-or-treaters to enter a haunted, radioactive amusement park, a carnival of lost souls, forest of skulls and this Saturday, a pirate ghost ship. And while the Nemesis may be a return to a previous theme - albeit with a twist as the previous incarnation was more Pirates of the Caribbean than haunted vessel - Steve Grime believes this year's is better.

"I think this year is probably our best," he said. "Having sails actually attached to the house is pretty cool."

Steve said they were influenced to go a bit further than simply decorating their home for Halloween by some friends who turned their home into a more professional-style haunted house. Those friends have since moved to Oklahoma to open a four-story, large-scale haunted house.

Decorating a home for any holiday can turn into an expensive endeavor. To go to the extremes the Grimes' do, Steve said you need to be creative and resourceful.

"We're not to proud to go Dumpster diving," he said with a laugh.

Many of the props used in the various themes are derived from discarded leftovers. For instance, the foremast of the Nemesis is made from a salvaged carpet tube found in a bin, Steve said, while the ship itself is constructed using wood pallets.

Some props come about from friends or even work. A former Air Force pilot, Steve said he was able to lay his hands on some radiation suits, masks and gloves several years ago for "Funland Toyland" - a theme modeled on an old amusement park in the vacant Ukrainian city of Pripyat which was abandoned due to the nuclear accident at nearby Chernobyl.

The family also keeps their eyes and ears open for liquidation sales throughout the year as other potential prop sources. Steve said several characters used in Toyland were purchased when Spokane's Chinese Lantern Festival closed and sold off their equipment – with Steve melting the characters a bit to provide an extra level of creepiness.

And, of course, there is the more traditional path to accumulating costume materials.

"Value Village is our friend," Steve said. "Most of the stuff we get for our costumes comes from there."

Once accumulated, the costumes and props are assembled, which can include a process Steve called "distressing" the items to make them look old, battered and additionally creepy. This is done in a variety of ways, including dragging clothes and props through the neighborhood streets.

It's all guided by plans Steve draws up soon upon the family decides what the coming year's Halloween theme will be - a process usually beginning soon after Christmas. Those plans also include lights and sound effects, items that help generate apprehension among visitors and add to the mood of each theme.

As the themes come together, the whole family becomes involved in the process. Steve serves as master set builder, while Kym focuses on characters, with son Galen and daughter Katie helping out anywhere needed.

That preparation also includes practicing each members character, perfecting scary poses and routines. Steve said 24-year-old Galen has really perfected the latter, often serving as the designated "startler" who hides somewhere, selects an unsuspecting target and then pouncing out of the shadows at the last second to illicit screams.

"He's the expert," Steve said. "He has honed his skills throughout the years."

Even neighbors and friends get into the act on occasions. The display is usually assembled a day or two before Halloween, taking place behind a black tarp which stays up right up to the moment trick-or-treating starts.

"It's part of the event," Steve said. "People see lights emitting from behind the tarp and start wondering, which adds an element of fear."

This year the family began preparations earlier and eschewed using the tarp, partly because of events transpiring with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Steve said they usually give out over 1,000 bags of candy during the night, with up to 2,000 people - including parents - coming through the display.

Steve isn't sure how many visitors they'll have this year, and the family is taking implementing measures to follow recommended health and safety protocols such as using double masks, everyone wearing gloves and staggering visitors through the display to maintain social distancing. And, if other years serve as example, the Grimes' will be joined by many of their neighbors, how have taken the cue and turned their homes and garages into Halloween-themed locations for fun.

On Nov. 1, the Grimes' begin taking down the display, storing the props in a room designated for that purpose. Soon, they'll begin thinking about next year, and Steve said they will look for new themes or possibly recycle older ones that proved popular, such as the Carnival of Lost Souls - "That scared more people than anything" - or one he enjoyed that featured monsters from old black and white horror films.

There is one possible new theme, however, but it won't be in the rotation.

"People ask me, 'are you going to do a pandemic theme,'" Steve said. "No way!"

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.