In the small city of Las Cruces, the citizens are avid fans of Halloween. With tons of spirit and little events to celebrate, it can leave much to be desired for this spooky holiday.
A passion project several years in the making plans to change that.
Maria Gonzalez is a freaky fanatic, with deep roots in scary movies and spooky culture. As a person who cannot dare decide her favorite slasher, she breathes and bleeds orange and purple. Her dedication to Halloween has led to one of the coolest decoration displays in all of Las Cruces.
I was lucky to sit down with Maria a few days ago and get her story on what Halloween means to her, and how her journey has led the House of Horrors on Espina to this point.
The Interview
Me: How long have you been working on this project?
Maria: “We started about last year, really putting it in the community page and starting to get it out on social media. Throughout this year I saved up to buy the animatronics, so I feel like it was a lot more elaborate this year. We started back in 2017, little by little putting things together. By October I usually have my collection together. Every year we plan ahead how everything is going to look and how it’s going to follow a theme. It’s a whole year’s process!”
Me: Have you had a good response from friends, family, and the community?
Maria: “The response has been crazy! I posted on the 1st of October, and that same evening we had people walking around outside and basically a full house. The next day (Sunday) was the same, and I was expecting it to die down on Monday, but we were full all over again! The reason we do it is because halloween is my favorite holiday, Christmas is my husbands. It has just been amazing to hear people say that it has become a tradition each year, and hearing the screams of people getting scared by the animatronics is always fun. I always go out to greet the people and thank them for coming!”
Me: Was there a specific role halloween played in your childhood that led you to create this vision?
Maria: “I remember when i was a kid my mom would take us trick or treating, and I would see the displays with people giving out candy with the cool decorations. I remember telling my mom ‘One day I’m going to be the one giving out candy, I’m going to be the one with the display’. So that was always a goal of mine. We were a lower income family, so we never got to give out the candy, so I wanted to be able to be the one to give out candy now.”
Me: How much do you usually spend on your display each year?
Maria: “I want to say this year I spent about $2,500. I was able to get up early this year and grab the skelly. I missed the first day, but I was able to grab one on the restock. I told myself ‘I gotta have that Skelly!’ The animatronics have played a big part.”
Me: Who would you say is your favorite scary movie character?
Maria: “They are all so cool! Micheal Myers is #1, and I’m excited that the franchise has been able to keep going. Chucky, Sam because he’s cute even though he’s a psycho. And of course The Exorcist because I really like that paranormal, supernatural kind of horror. I really like them all but I would have to say Micheal Myers.”
Final
It was interesting to take a moment to see through the eyes of Maria and see how this project has slowly come to life. The dedication to her craft is undeniable, and the city of Las Cruces can only look forward to more amazing displays for many years to come!
Follow the House of Horrors on Espina St. on Facebook for updates!
