How Lynn's supersize Halloween display puts the frighteners on - for charity

On an ordinary street near the city’s Sandy Row, Lynn Nelson has tricked and treated her house out with a massive range of creepy creatures and shocking surprises.

A lifelong fan of the season with a massive collection of decorations, it took her a week just to set this year’s display up.

Boasting everything from killer clowns to automated ghouls that leap out at unsuspecting callers to a giant inflatable Michael Myers, the evil knife-wielding maniac at the heart of the long-running ‘Halloween’ series of horror films, Lynn’s decorations are have become an October tradition in her part of Belfast.

But they don’t just delight local children. No, she gets callers from all over Northern Ireland in the run-up to the big day, with families from as far as Bangor and Craigavon making the trek as her City Way home becomes a favourite haunt.

Lynn told the News Letter that she began years ago with “just the odd wee bit around the window”, but as Halloween and trick or treating grew in popularity so did her display.

"I’d check what was on sale here, go through social media and see what else was out, and then started moving further afield,” she said. “I’ve still got some of the older decorations that don’t work any more, but if they look good they’re worth showing off.

“Ever since I was kid, I’ve loved Halloween. I’d always watch all the scary movies when I was younger, and still watch them now; even come Christmas, I’ll still be watching scary movies.

“But it’s come a long way since I was young with a 50p mask and a black bag. My street gets full of cars and people now.”

Alongside the horror-star likes of Chucky and Michael Myers – the latter, says Lynn, as the movie series ‘Halloween’ is one of her favourites – is a new addition that’s a tribute to her area’s own culture.

A zombie cheerleader debuts this year, Lynn unveiling her due to the growing success of local kids’ troupe the Sandy Row Falcons.

She said: “Cheerleading is famous in Sandy Row now, so I thought I’d bring a touch of cheer to my collection.”

With flashing lights and spooky screams, moans and groans, the display is active from 6pm to 9.30pm every night.

Alongside the decorations in her front garden and on both floors of the outside of her house, Lynn is taking donations for suicide prevention charity PIPS.

The cause is close to her heart due to the tragic passing of her younger sister Jacqueline four years ago, aged just in her early thirties. A poster of Jacqueline is next to the display, along with a PIPS poster with a QR code allowing visitors to send money directly to the charity.

“I wanted to do something special to help others, so reached out to PIPS,” Lynn said.

Despite the huge number of decorations, she’s not done yet and wants more – with her big ambition being the killer clown Pennywise from Stephen King’s ‘It’.

“I’d love to get him,” smiled Lynn, “but to be honest, I’ve no room in the garden.”