In 2022, Alfred Barberena publicly revealed his plans in the Gilroy Dispatch to further expand his neighborhood-wide Halloween display for the next year.
It’s now 2023, and Barberena has kept his promise.
Barberena is putting the final touches together for his Disneyland Haunted Mansion-themed display, which will take over the driveway and front yard of his neighbor’s home on Twinberry Way in west Gilroy.
Barberena is known throughout his neighborhood for his and his wife Michelle’s home’s elaborate display based on the animated film “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” with his own 3D-printed props giving it a unique feel. The neighbors on both sides of the home have also gotten their own Barberena-created displays over the years.
Now, another neighbor has agreed to offer up their front lawn for Barberena’s latest creations.
Scenes from the classic dark ride at Disneyland, The Haunted Mansion, have been meticulously recreated by Barberena using 3D printing and other processes. Barberena said he studied videos of the attraction to create the props down to the smallest details, such as the same pattern of the wallpaper as well as the number of bricks on each side of the entrance pillars to the attraction.
Barberena used old computer monitors to create moving wall-mounted picture frames to recreate an iconic scene from the attraction’s queue, while the voice of the narrator welcoming “foolish mortals” is synced to an AI-created animation of a statue.
The floating head of Madame Leona also makes an appearance, thanks to the clever use of an iPad, a clear bowl and a blue wig.
Barberena said the home saw a record number of visitors on Halloween in 2022, with 300 stopping by from throughout the city and even San Jose.
“Seeing how excited the kids get when they see it makes it all worth it,” he said.
