Plainfield ‘Stranger Things’ Halloween display back with even more fright

Last year, a Plainfield couple’s “Stranger Things” Halloween display based on the Netflix hit series went viral.

This year, Dave and Audrey Appel of HorrorProps said they finished the display that they started last year, which opens for viewing Friday night.

“We added a few new characters and things that we built into it [the display] last year,” Audrey Appel said. “Last year was so crazy, we never completed it.”

This year, the Appels added a 19-foot wide and almost 10-foot high “demonic” arch at the foot of their driveway that the Appels constructed from more than 70 pool noodles, Dave Appel said.

“It smokes and has all these cool effects,” Dave Appel said. “We’re sure people will have a great time with that.”

The Appels’ floating Max Mayfield prop, based on one of the show’s characters, garnished them international attention is part of the attraction. But that was a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity that the Appels don’t expect again, Dave Appel said.

Instead, they are focused on “how can we outdo ourselves this year?” Dave Appel said. Audrey Appel said she and her husband are focusing on building a better display and making their scenery more effective to create a more entertaining experience.

“We’re trying to build better things,” she said. “We’re trying to make our scenery better. We’re trying to do an overall better experience. We want to be successful in our own decorating, if that makes sense.”

How they made a ' floating Max’

The Appels freely share how they make their props, including the famous “floating Max” from a year ago.

“Fishing wire,” Dave Appel said. He and Audrey later added other materials, including “pool noodles and Jewel bags,” he said.

The prop was put into place with a pulley system. It looks heavy, but it’s actually quite light – just four and a half pounds – although the Appels increased her weight slightly last year to “handle strong winds,” Dave Appel had said.

After a neighbor complained in 2022, Dave and Audrey Appel briefly considered taking down their Halloween display. People started driving by the couple’s home after they saw a teaser video online of the display of Sadie Sink’s Max Mayfield from “Stranger Things” seemingly floating in the air.

Overall, neighbors didn’t seem to mind the traffic the Appels’ “Stranger Things” display attracted.

Dave Appel said last year that about 1,500 people were coming out on official viewing nights. Joliet Police Department spokesman Dwayne English gave a “complete ‘guesstimate’” in 2022 of 500 to 1,000 attendees each night. That neighborhood falls under Joliet police patrol jurisdiction because it is within the city boundaries but has a Plainfield listing through the U.S. Postal Service.

If anything, the Appels felt their display brought people together in their love for Halloween and the hit television show.

“It’s families,” Dave Appel said in 2022. “It’s young kids. It’s older adults. It’s anyone who loves Halloween.”

Although the Appels aren’t expecting their work to go viral this year, they do want people to enjoy it. Dave Appel summed up their sentiments in three words.

“Happy Halloween, everyone,” he said.

The couple’s goal is to ultimately open their own haunted house. They post updates of their progress on social media, especially at tiktok.com/@horrorprops.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: HorrorProps Halloween display

WHEN: 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturdays, 4 to 9 p.m. Sundays, 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 31

WHERE: Dave and Audrey Appel home, 1806 Whispering Oaks Court, Plainfield

INFO: horrorprops.shop.