Locals embrace billion-dollar gore industry

Halloween spending is expected to approach $9 billion this year, and local horror lovers are embracing the industry by bringing fright and fun to local neighborhoods. Medina Township residents Terry and Bill Willis have tried to add new attractions to their easy-to-spot home at 3846 Huffman Road each year, even though their neighborhood doesn't attract trick-or-treaters due to a lack of sidewalks. The home now features a covered wagon theme with a skeleton driver backed by tall jack-o-lantern figure overlooking a shelf filled with his pumpkin brethren. "We have grandchildren, so we try to keep it up and make things fresh each year for them," said Terry Willis. "We didn't add many new things this year but over the years, I'd say we've put about $500 into it. Cars stop and pull over to take pictures all the time. "Just have fun with it and don't be afraid to put some effort into it. It's always worth the trouble." Bill Doehring moved from Berea to Brunswick in 2015, quickly turning his Brunswick home at 3497 Spencer Lane into a haunted house and community staple that now attracts about 1,200 visitors each season who are dying to see his display. Last year, he started encouraging attendees to make a donation to the Brunswick Food Pantry, which collected more than 300 pounds of non-perishable goods. "My wife and I remember what it was like to make use of those sort of organizations when we were younger," Doehring said Monday. "We've been in those tough spots and used those resources just to get by. To now have the chance to give back a little bit is a very good feeling." A survey from the National Retail Federation points to the $9 billion being divided between $3.2 billion spent on costumes, $2.7 billion on decorations, $2.6 billion on candy and $400 million on greeting cards. Seventy percent of those surveyed said they plan to hand out candy, while roughly half decorate their yards, wear costumes, and carve pumpkins. The holiday has begun to rival the Christmas holiday season in terms of enthusiasm and effort put into home decorations setups. Pet costumes have also become a more popular item, as evidenced by growth in local events such as Medina Creative Pet Play's annual Howl-o-ween Paw-ty. About 20 percent of survey respondents said they plan to dress their pet in a costume — a significant jump from last year's 16 percent. Younger adults age 25-34 are most likely to dress up their pets, the survey states. Word of mouth and videos on websites such as YouTube make up the vast majority of costume inquiries as opposed to trips to a brick-and-mortar store. Pet costumes cited in order of popularity were pumpkins, hot dogs, bumble bees, devils, lions, "Star Wars" characters and superheroes. Dressing up a dog as a cat or vice versa was also said to be a regular practice. Doehring's home can be distinguished by a multitude of skeletons clawing up its sides, vibrant strobe lights, fog machine, a cemetery stretching around its perimeter and a ghostly purple hue often enveloping it at nighttime. He said national trends in Halloween spending are fairly similar in relation to what goes into his attraction, estimating that his budget has increased each year by roughly $1,000 with this year coming in between $8,000 and $10,000. "It's grown very quickly and we're happy about it," Doehring said. "We're already over 500 visitors this year and it's remained pretty steady. Scene 75 in Brunswick has helped up out by donating gift cards that we've been passing out to people. "You don't have to bring a food donation to get in, but it is encouraged." The home will be welcoming brave souls into its haunted interior through Oct. 31. For more information, call Doehring at (440) 403-5003. Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at 330-721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.