Be wary wandering through East Maitland at night because the Halloween house on The Ridge Road is sure to scare.
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The Newberry family have been transforming their front yard into a ghoulish graveyard for five years now, creating a spectacle that catches the eye of children and adults alike.
"The graveyard has taken up most of the yard and we try and add a little bit extra each year," owner Steve Newberry said.
"It started off as a bit of fun and it's grown from there."
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During a trip to the United States, Mr Newberry was inspired by the way the community rallied around Halloween and wanted to bring that magic home to Maitland.
"We were lucky enough to be in America for Halloween one year and just walking around everyone was having cookouts, the kids were running around trick or treating and playing with each other and it was just great," he said.
"Everyone was having a great time and I thought, you know who'd really like to do this? Our kids at home."
Mr Newberry said children in his neighbourhood were always out playing and riding bikes, and he thought they would love what he saw in America.
"The neighbourhood kids now come out and say 'you should put that there,' and all of a sudden it's like they're the foreman and I'm the worker," he said.
"It's fantastic, the kids get a real kick out of it and I get a kick out of watching them enjoy it so much."
Mr Newberry said it's a family effort, with his two teenagers helping to set up and his wife handling operation of the smoke machine and venom spitting spiders each night.
He estimates the display costs about $3000 each year, and it used to be more when they ran a sausage sizzle for the neighbourhood.
On Halloween night the Newberry's will be giving out 370 bags of lollies, as well as little toys that kids can pick from if they have any allergies or other preferences.
This is part of the Teal Pumpkin Project, an initiative about inclusion for people with food allergies.
Last year the Newberry's had 3300 pieces of individual treats and many were given to a food donation drive that went to Murrurundi.
Mr Newberry recommended any drivers-by to come about 7.30pm as that was when the graveyard was at its scariest and most spectacular.
The graveyard takes about a month to set up, and will come down the day after Halloween according to Mr Newberry, just in time for a few simple Christmas lights to go up.
"The happiness it brings is excellent, everyone is so happy on the night and even adults walk past and smile when they see us setting up," he said.
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