Frankenstein civilized, Salem

This was my very first shoot in Salem proper. On this day I was walking towards the action, and a polite Frankenstein stopped to let me do my thing. Behind him are the Blues Brothers which dates this photo to 2009. The white rabbit was another gift, welcoming me to this silly seasonal parade.

This series has grown to at least 3 times the number of images I have on this gallery, as I stopped posting the material in 2014 (note 2022 - new gallery posted on this website, but there is still more).

The window of opportunity for this subject is limited. Ideally, the best light is between 3 and 6 pm so the time frame is also short. Displays are not put up in the suburbs until mid to late October.

Although Salem is predictably ripe with subject matter I prefer to find out-of-the-way home displays and seasonal rural sites. People are inspired to feed their ghoulish funny bones even if only the neighbors will see. Home-crafted expressions are very hard to find and I will sometimes simply pick a neighborhood or location and drive around.

Generally, Halloween is a month-long party that we can collectively participate in - harmless and funny. I shy away from the gruesome stuff but a bit of a scare is ok with me.