77 Homes That Look Like Halloween Moved In And Took Over

Haunted houses as a commercial and recreational concept are a distinctly 20th-century invention. The first recorded haunted house attraction was run by the Junior League of Anoka, Minnesota in 1920, and the format exploded in the 1970s when the Boy Scouts of America began running haunted attractions as fundraisers across the country.

The commercial haunted house industry now generates an estimated $300 to $500 million annually in the US alone. The people building elaborate indoor Halloween setups are essentially running personal haunted houses for an audience of whoever walks through their front door, which is a beautiful use of an evening in October.

The gothic and dark home aesthetic has been creeping beyond October for several years now, driven partly by the cottagecore and dark academia trends that took over social media and partly by a generation of people who decided that skeleton candle holders are appropriate year-round and will not be taking questions.

Searches for "Halloween decor" on Pinterest now spike as early as July, and several major retailers have responded by releasing their Halloween ranges in August. At this rate, we will be getting Halloween before the summer and Christmas before school starts. Who's complaining?

What is your favorite way to decorate for Halloween? Share it with us in the comments!