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There's a crazy jack-o'-lantern sculpture on a front yard in Silver Lake that is totally going to freak out trick-o-treaters this Halloween.
We saw some pretty impressive pumpkins at this year's RISE of the Jack O'Lanterns event, but none of them were quite as a elaborate as the haunting sculpture on Karen and Guy Vidal's front lawn. This year, the Silver Lake couple—both interior designers—have created an elaborate pumpkin sculpture as part of what has become an annual tradition with the help of their kids, Ginger and Levi. In the past, they've created ornate sculptures like "The Giant Spider" and a scorpion, but this year they've turned Halloween decorating up to 11.
The Vidals have created a massive, bug-eyed and knotted snake-like monster that is bursting out of a rotund, human-scale pumpkin character. It looks like the poor guy had just finished raking the lawn when the creepy creature burst out of his stomach, leaving pumpkin entrails and seeds everywhere.
"Every year (this is the 7th) has been a joint effort. We brainstorm and argue and jockey for each of ideas to win the vote," Guy tells LAist. "This year it was Karen who came up with the winning design, but we all work on the sculpture together."
While previous years have included insects and more traditional creatures—think a caterpillar (2009), The Kraken (2014), or you know, a baby eating mutant giant crab (2010)—Guy tells us that as Ginger and Levi have grown, they've started considering movie monsters more. This year's design is inspired by John Carpenter's The Thing and Ridley Scott's Alien.
Once the design is chosen, then the team sets to work. Guy explains, "Ginger did the conceptual sketch. That leads to a list of pumpkins, some of which can only be bought at Underwood family farms in Simi Valley. Other construction material includes rebar, wood and metal stakes."
If you're trick-or-treating near the Silver Lake reservoir this year, you may be lucky enough to check it out in person. Let's just hope you have a strong stomach.
Boo! (Photo courtesy of Rich Pedine)
And here are years' sculptures from the Vidals:
The Vidals with 2010's "Baby Eating Mutant Giant Crab" (Photo courtesy of Guy Vidal)
Caterpillar, 2009 (Photo courtesy of Guy Vidal)
