UPDATE: The homeowners have requested fans hold off on visiting for now as they prepare an update this week. The house was nearly closed following an incident with a neighbor over the weekend. Read more here.
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You've probably seen the "Stranger Things" Halloween setup going viral at a home in suburban Plainfield, but what you haven't seen is the other side of their yard.
Homeowners Dave and Aubrey have been putting together this year's décor for months, but it wasn't until their TikTok showing a floating Max Mayfield in the middle of their driveway that things really started to take off.
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The show-inspired display shows "Stranger Things" character Max Mayfield floating above Dave and Aubrey's yard, surrounded by various elements from the Upside Down, centered on scenes from the most recent season that finished up this summer.
For those driving by, it's pretty hard not to notice, but what you haven't seen in the viral clips is the other part of their yard.
"We don't just have 'Stranger Things.' We have killer clowns, pennywise, pet cemeteries, we have Alien, we have Predator... references," Dave told NBC Chicago in a recent interview. "And the people can pick them out and call them out - that's amazing. So much fun... because we hide them. We love Easter eggs and horror movies and all that stuff. So our one side of our yard is all 'Stranger Things,' the other side is every pop culture horror film that we basically could fit in there that looks peaceful."
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The popular display officially launches this month, with the couple saying they do it for the "scares, smiles, laughs, joy" and love of horror.
Although many who have seen the display for themselves or have seen it online are deeply curious as to how Max Mayfield is floating above the driveway, the magic will remain a mystery just a bit longer as October finally gets underway.
According to Aubrey, many fans online have suggested the couple used magnets or drones to keep Max floating. For the Plainfield couple, the full show needs to be open to the public before any of the secrets are revealed.
"The magic really isn't so much in the prop we've made. It's in the whole effect of it. And we decided that we're going to hold on to the idea for a little bit longer just to give people more time to guess and figure it out and also bring people out," Dave said.
This weekend marked the home's first official open day.
While the displays have featured a floating character thus far, lighting and special effects will be added outside the home just in time for the start of October. Even though there's plenty more to come in terms of Halloween madness for Dave and Aubrey, the decorations are all for the love of the holiday and related activities.
"We do this for no money," Dave said. "It's for free. It's just for kids. It's for adults who want to see something different, who want their walks to be, you know, more entertaining."
There may not be any financial gain in the horror-inspired efforts at this time of year, but the couple has not avoided recognition for their extraordinary efforts.
"We actually heard from Netflix on our TikTok. They commented and said, '#001 fan for sure.' Pretty cool. Like we took a good two or three minutes," Dave said. "Did they really comment and how do you reply to that?"
The couple also said they received a retweet from the Stranger Things Writers' Room, and have caught the eyes of athletes, bands and even The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
"I was like, 'Okay, all right. We're really doing something here,'" Dave said.
The couple have been on board with "Stranger Things" since the first season, with both Dave and Aubrey pointing to their childhoods in the 1980s and overall fascination with horror for drawing them into a show millions have streamed over the past six years.
The horror of the show may be a drawing point for them, but the show is much more than the scares for the Plainfield couple.
"It's everything. It's the music, it's the writing. It's really the connection to the characters," Dave said, adding that the show has grown on the couple more and more with each season.
Even with the recent fanfare and recognition surrounding their decorations, Dave and Aubrey hope to continue just having fun and doing what they can within their means.
"We're not trying to become the number one CGI creators. We just want to build and learn at our own pace, but be able to slightly outdo ourselves every year," Dave said.
