Home Behind the Haunted House

*Fourteen-year-old Dylan Kieville poses in front of his blow-up pumpkin, one of his many Halloween decorations that create a night display from his parent’s front yard. (Drew Andersen / The Corsair)*

Behind one of the many white picket fences in Santa Monica is a haunted house with a front-yard filled with Halloween horrors. The mastermind behind the animatronic curtain is 14-year-old Dylan Kieville. His special effects skill set and imagination are an inspiration to many students stuck-at-home in their bedrooms, still living with mom and dad.

Kieville attends the Culver City STEM3 Academy. He finds online learning to be inconvenient. "If one thing goes wrong, everything goes wrong for everyone. If something happens to the server, we are all screwed,” said Kieville.

In September, Kieville created and developed a full-blown nightly display of animated creepy crawlies, undead rising from the grave, and hounds of hell, all with the sound and fury of a spooky light show. This resulting production takes place on a nightly basis in the front yard of his parents' home.

Kieville decided to put together the display as a way to make him feel less cooped up. “I've been keeping myself busy with these Halloween decorations. I feel I've made really good use of my time," said Kieville. "Not many people do a display like this. It's entertaining for me doing it and seeing how people react to it.”

The Halloween event at his home behind the white picket fence is a personal tradition. “I was going to do the decorations already but I went a little more extreme this year. I felt because the kids and the families are cooped up at home that they could use a little more joy. So I made it a lot bigger than last year,” he said.

This is not his first rodeo, he explains. “Done this for about five years -- setting stuff up with animatronics and interactive equipment. Animatronics are animated puppet decorations that have lights, sound, other movement, and special effects such as fog."

His handiwork and large collection started at age 9. The materials are from a couple of sources. “Half of it is custom and half of it is from Halloween stores in the area. I like getting everything in person. I like also the human interaction.”

Kieville's most recent assembly is an animated puppet of a haggard old woman with gray hair called a screaming banshee. “She is not complicated at all. Basically, it's just a circuit board, motor lead, speaker lead, and input for DC adapter. You can add different activation modes such as step pads or if you clap and make a loud noise.”

When not creating seasonal yard displays, Kieville operates the Mar Vista Egg Company. He sells eggs and raises chickens in his backyard.