Check Out This Haunted Yard in Auburndale on Oct. 31, Starting at 6:30 PM
by James Coulter
Ever since he first stepped into a Spirit Halloween at the ripe age of five, Matthew Reynolds has been collecting hundreds of Halloween decorations and animatronic figures.
Every Halloween, Matthew showcases his Halloween animatronic collection with his Haunted Yard. This year’s display will be at the same spot, 136 Patterson Dr., Auburndale, on Fri. Oct. 31 from 6:30 PM – 12 AM.
Recently, Matthews appeared on the Chattin on the Ridge podcast to discuss his collection and his upcoming display.
Listen to the full podcast on Acast: https://shows.acast.com/chattin-on-the-ridge/episodes/ep-70-haunted-yard-2025-wmatthew-reynolds
Here’s a sample of the answers he provided for the interview questions:
Q. Tell me a little bit about yourself. I hear you have a massive collection of animatronic Halloween figures. How many do you have? And how long have you been collecting them?
A. I have a collection of over 70 animatronics and even more static decor. I’ve been collecting since I can remember. My family used to buy 1 or two animatronics a year, but when I was around 8, I started getting them for Christmas and started really collecting them. Now I’ve had a history with Spirit working in management…so I’ve collected more and more. I mainly buy the older ones off eBay as they’re more classic Halloween and cooler to show off.
Q. What inspired you to start collecting all of these animatronics and decorations? I hear it was a fateful day when you stepped into a Spirit Halloween store as a little kid?
A. My inspiration came from my family being into Halloween and doing small displays with a couple of animatronics. Then, as I grew up, I found the community on YouTube. Since then, I’ve gotten into collecting them and even learned how to repair them due to growing up with these videos. I remember the first time I stepped into Spirit. I was particularly fascinated by the zombie baby animatronics.
Q. Aside from collecting these figures, you also repair and modify them, correct? Tell me a little bit about your skills and how they’ve developed over the years.
A. Over time, especially over the past 5 years, I’ve learned how to repair almost anything. I’ve learned mostly hands-on, but as a kid, I would watch YouTube videos of other collectors repairing props, and then I started learning hands-on. Now I can repair almost anything, from broken gears, wires, LEDs, motors, etc.
Q. Now every year, you showcase all of your decorations at your place with a massive haunted house walkthrough. Tell me a little bit about that and the effort that goes into that.
A. The Halloween haunt is a year-round planning project. It started as a small family haunt when I was a kid. Then, when I was around 10, I started getting into the haunt myself. Then I started taking it over completely myself and doing these elaborate displays. Each of my haunts is unique every year, each year has a theme, and each section of the yard is themed. It’s almost like a Halloween Horror Nights-themed house. The planning is extensive and all year round to ensure the best animatronic placement and best arrangement for the theme of that year. Each year only gets more impressive. Last year was the absolute best with a giant cemetery you can walk through, a farm section, and an actual indoor walkthrough area. I buy animatronics to collect year-round, so there are always so many new things to see. I never want guests to have the same experience every year.
Q. And what can visitors come to expect from this year’s haunted yard event? Any new spooks and scares planned?
A. This year’s haunt will feature a brand new, impressive vintage-style carnival you can walk through, tents with vintage animatronic clowns, and more. Even more scares are included this year, but we’ll keep that a surprise for the guests. Even more horror icons will be featured in this year’s display.
