The West Philly Fright Registry proves you don’t need the suburbs for spooky fun
Dedicated to everything “Wicked in West,” the webpage maps out nearly 100 businesses and homes offering trick or treating, decorations, or Halloween events for families.
Dyresha Harris is a Halloween enthusiast. Every year, Harris, 43, of Cobbs Creek, and her partner, Eo Trueblood, go all out. Over the years, they’ve decorated the house with everything from a 20-foot scary robot, a reenactment of the Netflix show Stranger Things, and as an underwater cave.
And every year, Harris hears the same things from her proud Philly neighbors: “See,” they say, “you don’t have to go out to the suburbs to have a good Halloween.”
This year, Harris, who works as a summer camp director, is making sure of it. She’s organized the West Philly Fright Registry, a webpage and map dedicated to everything “Wicked in West,” as it advertises, with a directory of nearly 100 businesses and homes offering tricks or treats, decorations, or Halloween events for families.
“Halloween is the only American holiday that has this element of interacting with your neighborhood and specifically going door-to-door interacting with the folks who live all around you. And no one does creativity, joy, and community quite like the folks in West do!”
To make the point, Harris biked up and down the neighborhood cataloging all the homes and businesses worthy of Halloween shout-outs, making sure to get their permissions before adding them to the directory.
Mind you, this is no directions-scrawled-on-the-back-of-a-Halloween-napkin map that Harris has created. A map legend with ghoul and pumpkin icons highlights what spots will be decorated and handing out candy treats. The directory highlights special neighborhood Halloween events, with times and details.
Like the Urban Art Gallery’s Haunted Art Gallery, which will be offering two floors of spooky Halloween night fun for kiddos, or the “Yama-ween at the Yamatorium,” a pop-up show with music and dancing, and candy for the kids.
“I thought a map would be a fun way to hype each other up, promote block pride, and showcase the creativity of our neighborhood while helping trick-or-treaters get the most fun out of their Halloween season,” she said.