I am not into Halloween. I do not like to be scared and if I am startled I am genuinely annoyed at the source of the big boo, whether it came from a human or not. And I get more annoyed when the source committing the scare, does it with purpose. But then Instagram showed me that Halloween in Burbank offered a themed housed that celebrates Wicked. And I am a Wicked fan. So much so that my love of Wicked overshadowed the disdain I have for the scare factor involved with so many Halloween traditions. But I am happy to report that the scares of this spooky walkabout are minimal at most, and never a jump scare, which will make some readers sigh of relief.
My friend Conrad and I were the duo who trailed a few Burbank avenues to enjoy Halloween decor lavishly displayed atop homes. Our first stop was the Wicked House, which was worth the 90 minute drive that we had to endure to reach it. We parked- a parking spot was not hard to find, which was a nice surprise.
As soon as I saw the Wicked House, I was in a small awe, which I rather experience rather than being wondrously wowed! The latter makes you want to stand and applause so loudly that thunder goes timid, while the former inspires a flick of wonder to ignite somewhere deep within. And in my life flames starting inside my being always trumps clapping with restrain abandon- one is felt for days and the other feels strong until the last clap. Meaning that this house nestled itself in the room where I keep memories that make a heart a flutter. I over wrote, I know, but I felt that this kind of analysis is needed to honor Ephalba.
The pictures demonstrate the impact of the house. For me, what will stick--- is the two performers of the show. One was a Wizard that was a robot- maybe not a robot but rather a person in garb- who engaged the crowd, like a comedian does to amp a waiting game show crowd to glee! And then, a performer sang, Defy Gravity. These two duos make the visual spectacle of the house (like a working television showing scenes from the original Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz) seem dull. The visual wonders to absorb are definitely an A+ element, but the singing and the jokes, were human touches that remind us that Wicked is not only strong, because of the visuals or the drama between 4 friends (that are not the Sex and the City Girls), but because of the songs and humanity behind them, something that machines and their kin cannot duplicate. Sorry, AI- in all its different forms.
After we had our fill of the Wicked House Conrad went to see different homes that are closely clustered but still if you want to see many it will be around a 2:00 experience. Yes, one will walk for those two hours, but also one will gaze and clip pictures of over-the top Halloween decor, so it is a nice stroll with scenery. One of the favorite things was this house that had a garage light that made it seem like ghosts or other forces were writing on the garage. I included a video where the garage door has no writing, and then the door starts to have writing, "Dare if you Enter." The house provides noises that match the ghost writing. It was all freaky and spooky but in a cool way.
We eventually made it to the clown house, which was genuinely insane. It was truly a celebration of the scary clown archetype that spread into an alley. To the side of a house, there was a small house of mirrors. My friend Conrad really like the display. In one of the pictures, he is seeing himself shorter than usual, and he had his chest puff out, with a big smile on his face. Thus, the clown house intrigues with its sensational clown decorations (that are seriously a micro circus for onlookers) and offers oddities to enoy. I was surprised that this home did not win first place for best house in Burbank (I am not sure of the exact title or the rules of the game) and instead the Wicked House did. A homeowner who was sitting outside his decorated house explained that Clown House wins almost every year, and they needed to give other houses a chance. Makes complete sense. Plus, the house and stroll were free. They were nearby business and vendors, across the avenues. Conrad had a green chicken tamale.
This stroll around Burbank offers so many items to see. Consider it a small Halloween activity that won't give you nightmares but instead things to marvel at and imagine about. For instance, on one of the house display-- Pumpkin Cemetery I think- there was a scarescrow with a pumpkin head that read as female and she had a baby scare scrow with a pumpkin head in her arms. If one stops and allows themselves to wonder about the sight one might imagine the court and dance needed for two scare crows to mate and reproduce. It was a treat for me, as I had never seen this decoration before. But there was so much to see. I took pictures, many pictures and some videos to offer reasons as to why would to experience this house walk, if they can. it a nice way to make a Thursday night more special! read more