Spooky happenings in Sleepy Hollow

Halloween is a big deal at Cat Tallant’s house – a really big deal. More than 100 lifelike figures, many of them animatronic, cover the entire front and backyard.

There are skeletons, witches, Dracula, monsters, ghouls, graveyards, and much, much more. Many are lit by individual spotlights, and some are sound activated, have moving eyes, or even jump out at an unsuspecting guest.

The house, at 6415 Carolyn Street, just off Sleepy Hollow Road in Falls Church, is a huge attraction for the neighborhood. The public is invited to take a tour through “the Haunted Path in Sleepy Hollow” on Oct, 29, 30, and 31, 6-9 p.m.

The display is family friendly, Tallant says, although parents might want to bring small children in the early evening when the lights are on.

Cat Tallant in the witch’s shack.

It’s more spooky rather than scary, she says. You won’t find blood, gut, and gore, she says, or anything demonic or horror characters like Jason from the Friday the 13th movies or monsters with chainsaws, although there is a clown with a knife.

Children like to be scared, Tallant says. “Kids get spooked but they love it and want to come back.” Kids must be accompanied by parents.

Tallant combines Halloween figures she’s purchased and embellished with homemade props, such as tombstones and trees. “It’s all about using what’s out there and being creative,” she says.

More than 300 props – such as jars of bubbling green liquids powered by fish tank pumps – make it all seem too real. “It’s the little things that make a difference,” she says.

Tallant started collecting Halloween decorations about 20 years ago. Her first project was a tabletop Halloween village. Then it kept getting bigger every year. For the current Haunted Path, she bought about 200 batteries alone.

This year’s Halloween display is the best ever, Tallant says. She was out of work for months recovering from a back injury, so she had more time to plan the displays, while her adult daughter Abbigale did much of the work.

New features include a maze in the front yard, a pumpkin patch, and a witch’s shack in the back, where Abbigale will tell fortunes. They started working on it the second week of September and hope to get it all packed up and stored away by Thanksgiving.

Tallant, a nurse and professional home stager for a real estate agent, says, “I always loved Halloween and I absolutely love the fall.” If Christmas doesn’t happen in the winter, she says, she would probably direct her decorating skills on that holiday, instead.