Even in eccentric Somerville, it’s not uncommon for cars to put on their hazards and pull over in front of Erica Joyce’s home to snap pictures with her elaborate Halloween display.
“These decorations make people happy,” Joyce wrote in an email to MassLive. “The absolute best part about this display is how much the people of Somerville love it.”
The display features hand-crafted figures of characters from Tim Burton’s 1993 classic film “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Joyce said she chose to model the display after the movie because its songs, characters and style resonate with people of all ages.
“It’s just a really quirky, interesting movie,” she told MassLive in an interview Monday. “It’s great to have something that is nostalgic and also that kids can watch now, and it’s still a fun movie.”
Erica Joyce creates a theatrical Halloween display with hand-crafted figures in front of her Somerville home (Photo courtesy of Erica Joyce).
Joyce, who works as a teacher in Everett, first put up the display after moving to Somerville three years ago. She saw the amount of foot traffic in the area and wanted to give her community a more interactive Halloween display as people emerged from pandemic lockdowns.
“I didn’t want to buy the $300 skeleton guy that everybody has been getting. I was like, ‘I think I could make something else instead,’” Joyce said. “So, I did it because of COVID and so that there could still be some joy in the community.”
Joyce started with Jack Skellington and has since expanded her cast of characters to include Jack’s loyal companion Zero, leading lady Sally, the villainous Oogie Boogie and the Mayor.
Most of the characters’ heads are made of papier-mâché while the bodies are built with PVC pipes. The clothes are mainly from Goodwill.
Erica Joyce creates a theatrical Halloween display with hand-crafted figures in front of her Somerville home (Photo courtesy of Erica Joyce).
For Jack Skellington, Joyce bought the biggest pants she could find and sewed them super tight to his skinny legs. Meanwhile, a trash can was used for Oogie Boogie’s body, an exercise ball for his head and pool noodles for his arms.
Then there’s Zero, who “floats in between the porch and the house like a kite,” Joyce said. Zero is “made entirely from metal coat hangers, a shower curtain and pool noodles,” she explained.
This year, Joyce added Sally and the Mayor, “who wouldn’t be complete without his two-faced head rotating,” she said. Both their bodies are also made with PVC pipes and a bit of spray foam insulation.
“I try to do some type of sustainable material,” Joyce explained. “Every piece was entirely hand crafted, sewn and constructed.”
Joyce’s house at the corner of Power House Boulevard and Curtis Street is right next to a school and within walking distance of Tufts University.
She said students and children walk by daily and are always excited to see the display, which Joyce typically starts putting up during the first weekend of October. She said the kids often talk about the display in school and want to know everything about it.
“They jump up and down and they’re like, ‘oh, it’s coming back,’” Joyce explained. “They know the characters by name, and they notice every detail.”
Erica Joyce creates a theatrical Halloween display with hand-crafted figures in front of her Somerville home (Photo courtesy of Erica Joyce).
Joyce is happy to discuss the details with people but would rather let them soak in the figures for themselves without always identifying herself as the artist.
“I just kind of make pretend like it’s not even my house, and then I just walk by because I want people to be able to enjoy it in their own way,” she said. “But a lot of people talk to me about what they see. They want to know how it’s made [or] what I’m doing next.”
People now expect the display and come back every year to see it, according to Joyce.
“I think that’s great,” she said joking about the fact that she can’t move.
“I mean, not that I would, it’s a great area,” Joyce said while laughing. “I just want to make the neighborhood a happy, happy place.”
