Peter Maltin
NIGHTMARE ON WEST END — Peter Maltin, 47, Ridgewood. “In 2016 I recognized that we didn’t have a lot of trick-or-treaters here in our part of town. Our kids were young, and I wanted to try and get more spirit in this area. We were able to fill the yard with all types of props, animatronics and such; and our kids (ages 9 to 14 currently) would do some popping out and scaring with some of their friends. I’m a financial planner, so this has just become a creative outlet. For instance, my daughter and I took a black barrel and made it into a toxic barrel with different things coming out. Normally planning starts in June, and it takes five to six weeks to set it up. We’re typically open on Fridays and Saturdays, starting usually that second weekend in October. We’ll do Mischief Night and then Halloween. Last year the final count of visitors was 3,000 to 4,000 people, and on Halloween alone probably 1,200. There’s no cost, no reservations—some people ask those things—just weather dependency. See our Facebook site (Ridgewood Halloween House) for updates.”
Samantha Ramirez
MOVIE MAGIC — Samantha Ramirez, 36, of Rutherford. “When we moved to Rutherford from Queens, a big selling point was the outdoors. We wanted to really enjoy the backyard and get our family and friends together. We do an outdoor movie night when the school year starts. My daughter is a big horror-movie fan, so we will do popcorn and a themed movie. Our garage is detached in the backyard, so we have what looks like a sheet and we bought a mini projector and big outdoor speaker. I think last year we did the original Beetlejuice. The year before that we had a lot of younger kids, so we did Elemental. My husband (Gabe, 45) designs tickets to give to the kids, and they have a punch thing at the bottom so they can get chips, a drink and candy. Then we go on Amazon and get little movie trays so the kids can have the same thing that’s at the movie theater.”
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SEPTEMBER 2025
8/19/25 10:54 AM