METAIRIE, La. — Metairie's North Bridgedale neighborhood has a killer reputation when it comes to Halloween.
Neighbor, Robert Bourgault, said it all started with one neighbor decorating his house for the spooky holiday, and then others started taking part.
“It’s definitely blossomed quite a bit over the years, and it’s kind of become a destination neighborhood," Bourgault said. Bourgault said in recent years they've seen as many as 1,100 trick-or-treaters on a weekday Halloween.
“My neighbor gives out whole candy bars. In years past, we’ve given out bags of cotton candy. One neighbor gives out 500 4-foot-tall Pixie Stix. They’re gone within hours," Bourgault said.
If the candy doesn't draw you in, the displays will.
Each year, Bourgault and his family come up with a new theme.
“This year’s theme was 'Bone on the Bayou' from the song 'Born on the Bayou' and my wife was a Terrebonne and we decided to change that to the 'Terror Bone' family. We decided to just put out a giant crawfish boil," Bourgault said.
The 12-foot skeleton is "Chef Terror Bone," and his recipe is deadly.
Bourgault has installed light displays synced to music to add to the ambiance.
Neighbor, Samuel Martinez, said his family spends weeks getting their home ready for Halloween.
“We moved in in 2010 and quickly learned that we needed more stuff," Martinez said.
Since then, his display has become monstrous.
So, why do they put all this effort into one spooky night?
“It’s just a good time and it brings everybody together," Martinez said.
Bourgault said the decor haunts those who stop by.
“It’s just fun to watch the kids come around and do it. Watch the kids grow up and a lot of the kids come back now and go, 'Oh I remember what you did last year and when you did this’, and it was years ago, and it was years ago that we did that, but they remember, and they love coming back," Bourgault said.