Year-round Halloween haunted house props store opens in Manorville
It may be summer, but HauntedProps.com, a year-round Halloween haunted house store, has opened in Manorville. Credit: Aidan Finnegan
It may only be June, but Halloween is happening out east as HauntedProps.com has opened a year-round storefront in Manorville.
“You can shop while getting the experience of a haunted house," says owner Joe Persampiere of Deer Park, who calls the endeavor a "haunted house store."
The 3,000-square-foot facility sells an array of haunted house props, costumes and animatronics that range from a Ghostface mask for $18.99 up to The Graveyard Deluxe set for $34,999.
HauntedProps.com has existed as an online business since 2006 shipping out Halloween goods all over the world from its home office in Deer Park. Persampiere has done work on Katy Perry’s California Dreams Tour, Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show” Halloween special, Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead” film and even Dick Van Dyke’s personal home haunt.
“I’ve loved Halloween since I was 5,” says Persampiere, 70. “It brings you back to your childhood because it’s just so much fun and full of make-believe, which is harmless.”
Growing up a big fan of Universal Monsters (Frankenstein, the Werewolf, Dracula, the Mummy), Persampiere designed haunts back in the ‘80s for the North Babylon Fire Department, Adventureland in Farmingdale and Fun Zone in Farmingdale.
“Once the market became saturated, financially it didn’t pay off,” says Persampiere, who decided to continue his passion as a Halloween merchant.
SCARY STORE FOR HOME HAUNTS
As you walk through the store, you'll pass merchandise displayed in various scenes of horror, each with its own special effects, theatrical lighting and sound design. The costume room is filled with more than 200 masks. The dining room scene shows various characters sitting around a table like an escapee from an asylum and Nubbins Sawyer from “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” served by a 7-foot ghoul butler. A bloody butcher’s shop has animal props and specimen jars. A vampire stands atop a staircase with thunder and lightning behind him while a decrepit grandma rocks back and forth in a chair by a fireplace. A cemetery scene contains a gigantic gargoyle, animatronic tombstones and a coffin with a vampire. All of these pieces are for sale to professional haunters or average folks who want to build their own haunt.
“Home haunts have become unbelievably popular,” says Persampiere. “People go over the top these days. It’s truly amazing what they do to their homes. Building a haunt has become a nice family activity.”
OPENING WEEKEND
HauntedProps.com had its grand opening the first weekend in June, where hot items for sale were Christmas ornaments ($19.95) featuring the heads of horror characters like Art the Clown from “Terrifier,” Michael Myers from “Halloween,” Freddy Krueger from “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and more.
“The Halloween groups on Long Island came out in droves. Many people arrived in costume,” says Persampiere, who works along with his grandchildren, Shaun and Lily Dwyer, plus technician Aidan Finnegan, who handles all the sound and lighting. “I didn’t expect this kind of reaction.”
Persampiere says he made his store year-round because of how the holiday has grown.
“For some, Halloween is 365 days a year,” he says. “Haunts don’t start building in September and October. They work on the ideas all year and put in orders early because the pieces can take six weeks to produce.”
Local haunter Paul Allan, director of Gateway’s Haunted Playhouse in Bellport, says the year-round haunt store just might “keep everyone’s focus on my favorite time of the year.”
Haunted Props, located at 713 Wading River Rd., Manorville (exit 69 of the Long Island Expressway), is currently open on Saturday (10 a.m.-5 p.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) with plans to expand days and hours in the fall; 631-220-3424, hauntedprops.com.
David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.