Haunting Halloween Home Makeover
Merri Lemcke, a wife and mother of three children, never dreamed that she would win the grand prize of our X-Scream Makeover Sweepstakes. See our slide show of the home's transformation!
- view all thumbnails
Merri Lemcke's suburban home the day before Party City's X-Scream Team Invasion. She entered the contest while looking for cookie recipes on the BHG.com Web site!
Merri and her 12-year-old son, Cassidy, being greeted by the X-Scream Team before sunrise on the morning of Friday, October 13th.
Despite below-freezing temperatures, high winds, and snow and ice showers, the team gets to work on creating the haunted transformation designed by Party City's team of professionals.
An X-Scream Team member weatherproofs one of the frightening ghouls who will be greeting the Lemckes' guests this Halloween.
Crew members prepare a coffin to withstand the cruel elements of the windy and wet graveyard in the front yard.
No one in the neighborhood will be able to miss this 12-foot ghoul that is the centerpiece of the gruesome makeover.
A skeleton perched on the fence surrounding the graveyard reminds visitors to beware.
Work continues on the one-day makeover, which required a crew of eight Halloween specialists to travel from Los Angeles, New York City, New Jersey, and Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Well-placed pumpkins that were locally grown by Merri Lemcke's brother add some color and a lighter element to the dark makeover and the dreary day.
Almost complete, cobwebbing has been carefully placed in every crack and crevice to further enhance the haunted feeling of the ghastly graveyard.
Merri, Cassidy, and Merri's daughter Courtney come out to inspect the progress of the makeover and are surprised at how much has been done in such a short time and in such difficult weather conditions.
The occupant of the open coffin, a skeleton, warns visitors that the Lemcke residence is no ordinary house.
At dusk the Party City X-Scream team puts the finishing touches on the makeover. A fog machine, black light, and red light bulbs are added to make sure that visitors can see the chilling transformation whether they visit at night or during the day.
With the sun down, all the ghouls are out and ready to play. Local residents are already driving by to witness the results of the horrifying makeover.
The transformation is complete and a terrifying success. The Lemckes, who normally get about 600 trick-or-treaters, are expecting over 1,000 ghouls, goblins, witches, and vampires to grace their welcoming doorstep this Halloween.
