It’s officially October and we all know what that means: pumpkin picking with family and friends, thrilling horror movie nights, and of course, spooky Halloween decorations everywhere you turn.
Located on 1000 Robwill Pass in Cherry Hill, NJ is DelPercio’s Haunted Estates. Driving through the neighborhood during Halloween season, it’s extremely hard to miss the elaborately decorated home on the corner of the street. With animatronics ranging from four feet to others that tower at twelve feet tall, the house is decked out in Halloween decor. Not only is the front of the house decorated, but so are both sides and the back. Drivers passing by can’t help but stop and hop out to take a closer look.
This has been a tradition for the DelPercio family for years now. All aspects of the yard are transformed into a haunted and artistic walkthrough, open to the public. Joey DelPercio, son of Joe and Pam DelPercio, explained that this is the sixth year of the walkthrough. Passersby are welcomed by the DelPercios in the driveway and allowed to enter the yard. Guests first walk through a cornstalk maze (yes, in their side yard), created with 4,000 cornstalks, where there are jumpscare animatronics waiting at unexpected corners.
One of the most notable parts of the walkthrough is the clown circus at the end, with more than a dozen animatronic clowns placed in a large circle, transforming the yard into a haunted circus. Due to the immense amount of decorations on the property, the DelPercio’s start decorating as early as August 1st, and are planning, saving up for, and buying decorations all throughout the year.
The decorations on the DelPercio estate come from a variety of locations including Home Depot, Spirit Halloween, Lowe’s, and local thrift stores. Some of their setups throughout are even handmade, including the doll walkthrough and the ice cream cones at the clown circus. The most frequently asked question regarding the decorations is, “Where do you store all of them during the year?”
You’d think they’re put away into a storage unit, but no. Each and every one of the clowns, animatronics, skeletons, displays, are all broken apart and stored in their basement, garage, and shed. Absolutely everything.
On average, the DelPercio estate receives around 200 visitors a night, Joey DelPercio explained. The house is open all throughout the week, opening when the sun begins to set, and until 9pm. But it gets better–the DelPercios are holding two live nights, with live scare actors scattered throughout the walkthrough course. They’re hidden in the corn maze, by the medical section covered in gorey specimens, throughout the creepy doll tunnel, and of course, hidden within the ring of clowns in the circus. These live nights are being held on Friday night of October 18th and Halloween, throughout the day. It was recorded by the DelPercios that they received 900 visitors for live night Halloween ‘23 (and that’s not including guests who couldn’t get enough and had to go in a second time).
When the DelPercios were asked what their inspirations were for the spooky transformation of their home every year, Joey explained that it was the joy of the children, and mentioned that “it’s really the adults who get scared.” There are many kids who visit everyday, who just walk to the estate to take in every detail. “I like doing stuff for a lot of people,” Joe DelPercio explained. The DelPercios have also been taking donations, which they send to Skeletons for St. Jude, this year being their third year doing so. Last year, they raised $2,500 for the fundraiser, which helps further support St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
If you’re struggling to get in the Halloween spirit this year, DelPercios Haunted Estates is more than the right place for you to visit with family and friends. With an interactive and elaborate walkthrough, it’s hard to not want to come back to visit. For daily updates on the estate, they can be found on Facebook @The Del Percio’s Haunted Estates.