Halloween House at Schubert Court
In which I revisit favorite news pieces from 2024
Originally published in the Hughson Chronicle & Denair Dispatch on October 29, 2024. The Hughson Chronicle & Denair Dispatch is part of MidValley Publications - committed to the power of the positive press. Reprinted with Permission.
For one night only, Hughson’s Schubert Court is transformed into a festival of Halloween fun. How did it all begin?
Nick Walker was born and raised in Hughson, but when he and his family moved to Schubert Court in the early 2000s as a high school student, he began to take a hand in decorating the home with store-bought decorations every Halloween. Every year, he adds a little more. When he visited Disneyland, Universal Studios, and Knotsberry Farm and saw their Halloween displays, Walker began to dream bigger and bigger.
Halloween was always a beloved holiday for Walker. “As far back as I can remember, I remember always being very excited about Halloween. Being scared, but in a fun way. That little scare, but it’s all for fun; it’s all with love.”
With his displays, Walker believes he can help show people that the emotion that is so often viewed negatively can be experienced in a new way. There is a fun way to be afraid. “I like to show people you can be scared with a little ‘Boo,’ a little jump scare, you can have that moment of being scared and then have that moment of relief. Seeing someone scared can be a comic relief, enjoyable for the group, you can be scared, but you can laugh about it, you can brush it off.”
There is enough of life when fear is accompanied by anxiety and pressure, Walker explains. “Halloween gives you the chance to explore being scared without any negative side effects,” he said. “I think it's important to be scared. It almost shows your body you can handle that emotion in a healthy way, a more constructive way. It makes you a little familiar with the feeling, more comfortable with the feeling. It’s like health exposure therapy.”
Walker puts that idea in to practices with little moments of making co-workers or his grandmother jump. “She loves it,” he said. And after the laughter that follows, he usually hears her say affectionately, “That’s my little Nicholas.”
The house at 6904 Schubert Court began with the “traditional, go-to, easy Halloween decorations” of tombstones, strobe lights and bags of cobwebs. Then, four years ago, Walker began DIYing it, handcrafting new additions for months before the big reveal. He maintains the graveyard base and expands, taking inspiration from scary movies he watches throughout the year.
Last year, for the front yard, Walker built a 16-foot castle with wall insulation and 2x4 forms hand-carved with hot wires and sanded smooth. There was also a witch’s cauldron sending fog up into the air, giant Home Depot props, fog, light and projection effects. “Once I realized that I had this gift for having a vision and creating something and bringing it to life, my mind just soared, and the sky was the limit of what I could do and what I could create,” he said. “It’s a hobby I love.”
He wants it to be a place where people can linger and look, seeing little moments of humor and frightful fun in the different scenes. “Every tombstone has its own handpicks saying; they all say something different.”
He keeps the theme parks he visited in mind as he creates the immersive scene. Walker said he was “captivated that they can temporarily transport you to a scary movie to relive them in your own way. I love the thought that people can almost feel like they’re experiencing a Disneyland moment or a theme park moment.”
On Halloween, Walker wakes at 3 or 4 a.m. and begins moving each set piece into place. That night, he fades into the background and enjoys listening to visitor’s commentary on the pieces. The design is intentionally family-friendly, without gore or mayhem. “It magically pops up for Halloween, and then it’s magically gone,” Walker said.
What began as theft prevention evolved into seeing the “magical moment” of this massive display for one night, which only added to the experience. It never grows stale. Near midnight, he, his family and neighbors begin breaking down the scene. “It’s turned into a court effort.”
One night of decorations has evolved into a neighborhood block party with more houses decorated and a central bonfire where children visit the court and trick-or-treat.
By day, Walker is a cake decorator at Save Mart in Ceres, but one day, he hopes to pursue a career path at the places that first inspired him to make his own Halloween House on Schubert Court.
Visit Schubert Court in Hughson, California, on Halloween night to see the display.
And for family-friendly, “scary but fun” movie viewing, Walker recommends “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Halloweentown,” and “Goosebumps.” Walker also recommends “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” a trilogy of short horror stories written for children that he devoured as a child.
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