He’s shown a lot of guts.
A Texas man whose gruesome Halloween props prompted multiple police visits last year is back at it with even grislier lawn displays for the upcoming holiday. Videos describing the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”-evoking scene are currently going viral on TikTok.
“There are lots of new gimmicks to this year’s caper,” macabre mastermind Steven Novak told the Dallas Observer of this year’s ambitious setup.
The blood-spattered phenomenon began last year after the Dallas native festooned his lawn with hyperrealistic mannequins dismembered in various ways, a dummy in a body bag, and 20 gallons of fake blood a la “The Shining.”
The disturbing display prompted multiple 911 calls by neighbors, who thought they’d witnessed a grisly crime scene. However, the police who responded said they were ultimately “cool” with the ghoulish display, at least according to Novak.
Now, like Jack Skellington in “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” the Halloween fanatic has decided to double down on the de-gore-rations to ease his tensions amid the pandemic.
“This year has been rough for a lot of people,” Novak says. “I think we can agree that this project is functioning as a pressure release valve.”
The decoration dynamo will be keeping “last year’s hit’s” — i.e. the mannequin impaled by a chainsaw, dummy on the roof, and the corn syrup blood — but will also be making some exciting new additions, Novak’s local news outlet reported.
Novak claims that he’s doubling down on the gory decor to keep his mind off the pandemic.Steven Novak InstagramHe detailed the method to his madness in a video with over 368,000 views: “55-gallon drums are now out by the curb filled up with the shredded party [guests]. And I made the body parts this year by cutting up mannequins then filling them with skeleton parts and Great Stuff insulation foam.” There will also be an optical illusion on the front door that employs special reflective paint to make it look as if his house was broken into by an axe murderer, he said, cheerfully.
The centerpiece of Novak’s display is a repurposed woodchipper that fountains blood across his lawn.Steven Novak InstagramHowever, the centerpiece of the Halloween bloodbath will be a repurposed woodchipper that fountains faux blood over Novak’s walkway into a kiddie pool filled with mannequin remains, per this tutorial with over 3.8 million views.
A subsequent clip shows the device spraying blood across the lawn at night a la the infamous wood-chipper scene from “Fargo.”
This was the most challenging prop as it took the Texan months “to find an old woodchipper for sale,” and the “the sellers were not pleased with its new purpose.”
However, he stressed that the blood geyser is environmentally friendly: “It’s all powered by a submersible water pump inside the [kiddie] pool which then leads back to the wood chipper fountain,” gushed Novak. “You can turn that pump on with your foot by pressing a hidden pedal switch.”
Naturally, the blood-soaked display might seem off-putting to some, but Novak claims his neighbors are lapping it up.
“It’s been a tremendous amount of work and dough, but it’s worth it because people love it so much,” he insisted. “People get as tickled looking at my massacre as they do looking at puppies!”
Novak even included his Venmo account among the decorations to urge fans to contribute to next year’s display.
An optical illusion uses props and a product called Black 3.0 to make it seem as if an axe murderer has broken into Novak’s house.Steven Novak Instagram
One of the hyperrealistic mannequins from Novak’s display.Steven Novak Instagram
