I have been "doing" Halloween for about 12 years, 7 years here in Hawaii. The Hawaii version started off with a graveyard in my front yard with rubber skeletons mounted on bamboo crosses, some scary music and a fog machine. The TOTs would go down a short dark hallway to get their treats from the monster at the end of the hallway....if they were brave enough.
Rubber skeletons gave way to "buckys" ( the rubber one rotted and have become rotting corpses)
In 2005 I added a deck to the front of my house along with a rock wall. I told people that it made the house look better and the deck was an improvement to the house. The deck and rock wall were actually built with Halloween in mind.....more places for creatures.
2 007 saw the beginning of interactive props with the introduction of the Pirate in the Cage which has now evolved to become the Radio Controlled Pirate in the Cage . In 2008 I started to learn pneumatics and animatronics, which allowed me to create props that would jump out at the people. I also added lighting other than Tiki Torches which allowed me to focus the "guests' attention on the props more.
In 2009 I am learning more about animatronics and microcontrollers to make more active and interactive props.

I hope that you enjoy my site and my projects. If you have questions about how I built something or about my haunt all you have to do is ask.