‘Halloween House’ is spooky, ooky and kids love it

For more than 20 years, Jim Heininger has been the unofficial “Halloween Guy” on his block of Forest in Oak Park. His son Jay says that while the mail delivery person might know the house as 946 Forest, every year at the end of October, kids from Oak Park and beyond call it the “Halloween House.”

Jim Heininger says it all began when his children were young and attended Mann School around the corner from their family home.  Every year on Halloween, the school had a Halloween parade that marched through the neighborhood, and the Heininger kids loved pointing out their “Halloween House” to their classmates.

Jay notes that the house and yard get their spooky on each year with ghosts, ghouls, graves, fog, scary music, lights and a 12-foot skeleton. “Every year, my dad finds a way to take it one step further,” he says.

How did he ramp it up last year?

Jim says, “These days, I’m getting a little too old to build the decorations myself, so last year, I decided to take things up a notch. I found a local hearse collector who parked one of her beautiful vintage hearses in our yard, and it was a huge hit.”

An added bonus: the full-size candy bars that trick-or-treaters find at the front door.

While the decorations and candy are a big draw, Jay says the night is more than run-of-the-mill Halloween fun. He says that his dad has created something that is a key part of living in this part of Oak Park and concludes, “What makes it special, though, is what the display has become to the neighborhood. Kids ask him about Halloween months in advance. Some even come over to help him set up.

On Halloween night, families stop for pictures and groups of kids line up for their annual visit to the Halloween House.”

Jay and his two sisters are now in their twenties and thirties, but they still find joy in watching their father embrace the holiday. Jay says his father is all about doing it “for the kids,” but he suspects his dad finds a lot of joy in watching the reaction of the trick-or-treaters every year.

For his part, Jim Heininger is looking forward to upping the ante this year. The hearse is coming back, and the owner has promised a real casket for Jim to display in the yard as well. As he sums it up: “Yeah…kind of creepy!” 

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