BELLE FOURCHE—A local resident has turned her passion for Halloween into a festive way to help neighbors in need during the holiday season. Colleen Nafus and her husband, Steve, have created an homage to almost every scary movie you can think of, and more.
Walking up to the spine-chilling house, visitors will see REDRUM scrawled on the window and a Bates Motel neon sign, along with favorites like Chucky, Jason, Freddy, Scream, and so much more. Neon lights and fog machines combine to create an eerie, spooky experience.
It has been a long-time obsession for the creator. “I’ve been married for 34 years and I started this before that! It all started with him, Michael Myers,” explained Nafus. “Michael Myers was my first one, and over the years, I’ve just added to it and added to it!”
What started out as one large, imposing Michael Myers figure eventually grew into a front lawn covered in life-sized moving Halloween animatronics. The setup later stretched around the side of the house and has now expanded to and taken over the entire backyard. “I’ve been doing the event this big for probably eight or nine years,” shared Nafus.
As visitors move from the front yard to the back, they can see the care and attention to detail Nafus and her family have put into the displays. Every element is carefully planned, and guests are encouraged to proceed with caution. Many of the motorized goblins are triggered by motion, springing to life with startling screams, flashing lights, ominous sounds, and quick movements as people approach.
Over the years, neighbors and travelers alike have stopped to enjoy the exhibit. This year, Nafus added a guest book in the backyard to track attendance. “I’m actually kind of keeping track this year to see how many people are stopping by, to see if it’s worth me doing it—so far, I think it is,” she said. “So far, in my book, we counted 152 visitors before Halloween and then 63 so far tonight.”
The attraction draws crowds from near and far. “I had a couple that signed the book today that said ‘we traveled all the way from Sturgis just to see it’ and some people from North Dakota that came out—they work in North Dakota, and they’ve been here twice now,” explained Nafus.
And, of course, the animated props bring all ages to the yard. “There are times that I’ll have older, like 60- to 70-year-old people walk through that don’t even have kids with them, but they just want to walk through it,” said Nafus. “I like when people just come up—I’ll be standing there doing dishes, and all of a sudden some people will walk by my window! But I’m used to it during October!”
One thing that is different this year than in past years is that the Nafus family is using this opportunity to accept donations on behalf of those in need. “I actually had quite a few people suggest to me, you know, you should have a donation to raise money to help pay for your display. And I thought, I’ll just change that around and I’ll do a fundraiser for other people,” she said. “I have a little tote there and all week people have just been leaving stuff in there. And then at night I empty it out and on Sunday, I’ll take it to the church with me. My pastor actually runs the Compassion Cupboard, so I’ll just take it to him.”
Items accepted include nonperishable foods, crayons, toothbrushes, and new toys to be donated to local programs. If it goes well, the Nafus family plans to accept donations next year to help those in the community.
Supporting those in need is important to Nafus. “It means a lot to be able to do this, growing up, I had a single mom and she had eight kids and so I know what it’s like to struggle,” she shared.
Feedback has been positive, though Nafus noted one person had some negative comments. Most, however, love it! “I want people to enjoy Halloween! For so many years, it seemed like when my kids were little, people didn’t get into Halloween anymore. And I think that’s one of the reasons that drove me to do this—to bring it back,” said Nafus. “I love Halloween. I mean, you know, it’s not just the idea of giving out candy and stuff, but it’s having people hang around and talk and it’s just a lot of fun!”
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