Burbank Area Yard Haunts 2020: DeWynn Cemetery, Circus of Nightmares, Clybourn Manor, Lilley Hall, and More
Burbank & Toluca Lake, CA
Well… I jinxed myself. I thought at my current post-Halloween catch-up coverage pace, I might be done by this weekend, but then real life got busy, and it’s the weekend, and there will be two more Halloween attraction recaps after this one. Hooray?
Well, it’s #ShriekySunday, and for the sake of not dragging things out, today’s post is a blockbuster yard haunt extravaganza, featuring TEN different Halloween displays/ haunts that we visited two weeks ago, on Halloween night—all in the biggest Halloween home haunt hotbed of them all, Burbank! Okay, so technically, we also spent a decent amount of time in Toluca Lake, which straddles Burbank as its own distinct neighborhood, but it was all the same general area, and we got to check out some pretty awesome displays that we’d missed in our previous trip a week prior, as highlighted in our 2020 Burbank Yard Haunts coverage parts one, two, and three!
The ambiance on Halloween night was pretty bustling despite worries that Halloween would be cancelled this year. Though actual trick-or-treating was a mixed bag (pun intended), with some neighborhoods allowing / participating in the activity while others did not, there were plenty of people out on the streets. Most seemed to abide by mask wearing regulations, though unfortunately, there were also locals who were not doing so, or not wearing masks properly. We stayed as socially distanced as we could and kept our own masks on at all times as we checked out some pretty otherwise wonderful Halloween ambiance in Burbank. Here’s a tour of the evening!
DeWynn Cemetery
Our first stop was a stellar one. Have you ever seen a yard display span both sides of the street? That's what Dewey / Dustin DeWynn Cemetery does (online, I heard it referred to as Dewy DeWynn Cemetery, but the slgn at the haunt said Dustin DeWynn, so I’m just sticking to the last name for this graveyard display)! Some incredibly accommodating neighbors allowed creator Keith Kaminski to drape cobwebs up and over the street, through the trees, and onto a display on the other side. The result was a home haunt that literally straddled the entire width of Lamer Street, literally enveloping passers-by!
DeWynn Cemetery had a fantastic trick-or-treat system going on on Halloween night, in addition to a sensational Halloween display.
On Halloween night, they also had a mega candy slide going on for drive-thru trick-or-treaters. In what can only be described as a macabre coffin and body burial workshop, an extended gutter tilted forward over a scene of skeletons hard at work with various funeral-related tasks, from tombstone making to inventory and planning. The stand actually covered some of the cemetery display in the front yard, but the Halloween ambiance was so fun and energetic that I didn't mind. Plus, it was a display in and of itself!
On the other side was a little haunted garden area, complete with a skeleton close, skeleton flamingos, and a few members of the undead. This had a different, less silly vibe. Instead, the garden provided an eerie tranquility that would not be too out of place in a memorial park. The actors playing denizens of this domain of the dead were fun and entertaining—especially the lady playing a zombie who ever, ever broke character.
If the ambiance and playfulness of DeWynn Cemetery felt familiar to some, it’s because Keith Kaminski has had past association assisting with Boney Island, the beloved Burbank home haunt that had to close down after neighbor complaints over the popularity and resulting traffic and which lasted one additional season in Griffith Park as a neighbor of Ghost Train. What he did here echos the same sort of charm, and the enthusiastic and delighted Halloween presentation two Saturdays ago really captured the passion and joy of October 31st!
This is practically absurd. Never had I ever witnessed a yard display that stretched literally over the street and onto the other side of the road, onto the neighbor’s property!
DeWynn Cemetery is located at 454 S Lamer St, Burbank, CA 91506 and ran at least two or three weekends leading up to Halloween. It wasn’t on the SoCal Haunt List, but it was certainly a deserving and stellar home haunt!
“Ghost Stories on Lamer”
Just up the street on Lamer from DeWynn Cemetery was a cute little display that Parks and Cons called "Ghost Stories on Lamer.” The name makes sense. A little gathering of witches and ghosts and skeletons have clustered around a campfire, as if to share haunting stories of perhaps humankind. I mean, humans tell ghost stories. So would the supernatural tell human stories? In any case, this was an intimate but really adorable little Halloween display, and it brought a spark of joy to my heart.
This was perhaps the most adorable yard haunt in all of Burbank.
“Ghost Stories on Lamer” is located at 400 S Lamer St, Burbank, CA 91506. I don’t know how long it was up, but it seems like it was at least two or three weekends up into Halloween.
Circus of Nightmares
The third stop of Halloween night was Circus of Nightmares, an off-the-walls, psychotic display of chaotic carnival clowns. This place was pretty packed in Halloween nights and felt very much like a circus--gone wrong! Even more impressive, it was produced by kids--Monster Club Kids, that is!
This carnival of terror was a popular hit on Halloween night.
A series of large, disturbing animatronic clowns in both the background and at the ground against the sidewalk filled the air with menacing laughter, creepy haunts, and even a few startle scare actions. In addition, there were several scareactors dressed in clown outfits waving machetes and doing their part to look intimidating. These child clowns were delightful and succeeded in a jump scare every now and then!
Overhead, there were bright market lights strung from the house to the trees in the sidewalk, with festive bunting and banners announcing the spectacle. The effect was to present a dynamic and visually over-stimulating home haunt with a tentfull of energy. What a great example of Halloween madness this was, and how awesome that this very young generation of haunters was leading the way here!
The owners also enjoyed plenty of activity and visitors on other nights too. It really does feel like a freaky fair has set up in town—i.e. the front yard!
Circus Of Nightmares is located at 113 S Brighton St, Burbank, CA 91506 and operated nightly from Wednesday, October 21 through Saturday, October 31. There were live actors on weekend nights, though I’m not sure about the rest of the time. All of this was so over the top crazy (in all the best ways) that it seemed to even inspire the house across the street to get in on the clown act! The relation reminded me of Santa Clarita’s Clown Town display, and its neighbor Creepers.
Clybourn Manor
Second time’s the charm! After getting there way too late the previous week, I made it to Clybourn Manor deep in the middle of the evening to check out their pirates display, enhanced from last year! Clybourn Street was pretty packed in general (thank goodness for my N95 mask), and Clybourn Manor was an especially popular stop, as many Halloween night trick-or-treaters were curious to see this Best in Show award-winning Toluca Lake Halloween Decorating Contest yard haunt.
I visited Clybourn Manor last year but don’t think I ever got around to posting an update about it. It was a fun home haunt, though.
Much like 2019, a series of pirate skeletons lined the perimeter, illuminated by a mix of string lights and colored floodlights. On the south side of the front yard, the seafaring scene was more elaborate, with several buccaneer vessels in display, some sinking, others being rowed, and even a Kraken in the "waters" attacking a ship!
The steady flow of fog amplified the moody ambiance, making the scene more mysterious. Audio effects and pirate talk filled in the tropical environment, making for a wonderfully rich Halloween display. Kudos to this crew for an ARRRRRRsome job done!
This year, however, the owners went even bigger and better with a more elaborate Pirates of the Caribbean tribute!
Clybourn Manor is located at 4336 N Clybourn Ave, Burbank, CA 91505 and ran nightly from Sunday, October 11 through Saturday, October 31, from 7:00 - 10:00pm.
“The Nightmare Before Clybourn”
Across the street from Clybourn Manor was this cool little Nightmare Before Christmas yard display, with some cool custom characters crafted as part of a most elaborate Halloween Tree! Jack and Sally spun in a waltzing embrace, while other beloved characters from the movie, like Oogie Boogie, the vampires, Lock, Shock, and Barrel, Zero, and even the vampire duck perched or hung from the branches. This was such a neat example of personal creativity and homemade enterprise. I'm glad the owners put it up!
This fantastic tree display across from Clybourn Manor was a treat for all The Nightmare Before Christmas fans!
This residence is located at 4336 N Clybourn Ave, Burbank, CA 91505, although the house itself technically fronts National Avenue much more than Clybourn.
Rock and Roll Will Never Die
We continued our Halloween night Toluca Lake adventures with a nice two-fer on the 4400 block of Mariota Ave. First up was Rock and Roll Will Never Die (or maybe it was called Highway to Hell), a dazzling and uniquely crafted Halloween display that provided a feast for the eyes!
This fitting winner of the Most Creative Toluca Lake Halloween Decoration display was unlike any Halloween display I’d ever seen, and it so totally rocked!
Rock and Roll Will Never Die was a spectacular celebration of rock and roll, with a nifty custom logo signage and several skeleton characters representing rock legends. On a motorcycle, Guns n Roses guitarist Slash revved up and popped a wheelie. AC/DC's Angus Young leapt in a midair riff. A mohawk-supporting skeleton jammed out on the keyboards beside them (I can’t help but feel like I should know who he should be representing).
A glowing demon head served as a de facto host in the center of the display. All around them, a field of LED light tubes and an expanse of fog created an ambiance that felt right out of an epic rock festival. When the mist was going, it created a magnificent visual sensation, channeling the energy and amplified buzz of music. This Most Creative winner of Toluca Lake Halloween Decoration certainly earned that accolade. Their house was super cool!!
Is this Slash from Guns ‘n’ Roses or Ozzie Osbourne? You decide!
Rock and Roll Will Never Die is located at 4428 Mariota Ave, Toluca Lake, CA 91602. I’m not sure how long it ran in October, but I imagine it was a similar time frame as Clybourn Manor’s October 21 - 31, since both were judged as part of the Toluca Lake Halloween Decorating Contest and thus had to be ready by the same time.
“Skeleton Party”
Meanwhile, Skeleton Party next door offered a more whimsical, silly affair, with a host of skeletons enjoying fun and festivities at a Halloween party! This home haunt didn’t have a name. When I asked the owner if she called it anything, she was at a loss for a label but proclaimed that it was just “a skeleton party.” I’ll go with that.
A game of Twister gets a little convoluted for these skeletons!
In celebration of the fall holiday, there were certainly multiple skeletons and some of their friends enjoying the time of their lives (or deaths). There were several playing Twister, plus a couple engaging a game of limbo. A graveyard full of tightly packed tombstones crowded the front yard, along with some charming inflatable Halloween props. The vampire rising out of his coffin was especially chuckle-inducing. It was cute and appealing, but also kind of silly-looking. Nonetheless, this was an adorable ode to the autumn holiday and a fun juxtaposition to its extravagant neighbor!
Skeletons playing limbo are especially impressive, since the don’t have tendons to keep their form together!
“Skeleton Party” is located at 4424 Mariota Ave, Toluca Lake, CA 91602. I do not have information for which nights it ran this past Halloween season, though it was set up elaborately enough that it was probably at least a couple of weekends.
Lilley Hall Pumpkin House
Just down the street and not even technically around the corner from Rock and Roll Will Never Die and “Skeleton Party” was the majestic Lilley Hall "pumpkin patch" display. This sprawling and beautiful manor, named after composer Joseph Lilley, who resided there for many years, sets out seemingly hundreds of glowing, orange, blowmold pumpkins (and a few other figures) every year, creating a field of these gourds in the front yard! The combination of this extensive scene against the Tudor style house created a feeling of Old World Halloween, enhancing the charm of an already beautiful neighborhood.
The sensational Lilley Hall “Pumpkin House” was a sea of orange gourds—hundreds of them lined in front of and all along the property.
Outside the fence line, the immaculately manicured hedges along the sidewalk were covered with orange string and net lights, and pumpkins line the streets and brick fence posts as well. The effect produced an awe-inspiring panorama of Halloween, stretching as far as one's cone of vision to see.
Also, on Halloween night, there were a trio of terrifying looking but very nice clowns who stood outside the manor's entry gates and posed for photos. They said they were "friends" of the manor. Their scary appearances definitely contrasted with the vibe of this very epic home haunt, but they made for interesting sights!
These “friends of the residence” looked freakier than they were. They were actually quite friendly and happy to pose for photos with plenty of pedestrians passing by.
Lilley Hall is located at 10104 Moorpark St, Toluca Lake, CA 91602 and was open from Friday, October 23 thorugh Saturday, October 31, from 6:00 - 11:00pm. The Halloween decorations are an annual tradition, but they also dress up extravagantly for Christmas too, so it’s worth a visit back for Christmas lovers to see what this iconic residence looks like during the holidays!
“Giant Inflatables on Moorpark”
Just a few blocks down from the amazing Lilley Hall, we found this series of giant inflatables, also on Moorpark Street. Normally, I don't consider houses with inflatable Halloween figures to count as credits, because there isn't much that is customized or designed. But these were massively tall inflatable figures--most from The Nightmare Before Christmas--and they made for an imposing sight! They were also lit up, and they definitely added prominence to this Toluca home haunt!
Many houses have inflatable Halloween decorations, but not many have such a towering and extensive collection of them, all assembled on their massive front lawn!
“Giant Inflatables on Moorpark” is located at 10240 Moorpark St, Toluca Lake, CA 91602. I don’t have information on which nights it ran.
Just next door to the Giant Inflatables was this display… I think. It was really a golf cart with a bridal skeleton and lights and ghouls plastered to the shrubbery. A hanging ghoul in the center of the driveway seemed to beckon further, which made since, because there appeared to be a Halloween party happening at the lavish residence tucked within. I didn’t venture further than the gate, but I thought this little display was intriguing. And was that poster part of some type of advertising?
I’m not sure if this was a commentary on poor driving or fateful weddings, but it was an interesting Halloween scene!
This residence is located at 10248 Moorpark St, Toluca Lake, CA 91602.
Phew! That was a handful, wasn’t it? I probably could or should have split this update into two, because there were so many quality yard haunts that deserved more dedicated attention, but we’re into November now, and no matter how much I love Halloween and how much I know many others like it, we’re moving onto the holidays, and the majority of people have probably moved on from spooky times.
But I have this OCD obligation that I feel I need to meet to shine a bit of a spotlight on the Halloween destinations I visit and enjoy each fall. So we tredge on… with two more updates before we put a wrap on the 2020 Halloween season—a season unlike any other in history!
Architect. Photographer. Disney nerd. Haunt enthusiast. Travel bugged. Concert fiend. Asian.
