If you love homes that are spooktacularly dressed for Halloween, there’s a house out in unincorporated Elgin calling your name.

At the northwest corner of Highland Avenue and Pollitt Drive — between Randall Road to the east and Coombs Road to the west — you’ll find the Bauer family residence and a front yard so festooned with ghoulish decor that it’s hard to see the grass.

There are more than four dozen skeletons, 9 of them lurking atop the roof. It’s hard to miss the a doll’s graveyard, a wicked well, a macabre swingest, a witches’ corner and, come weekend nights, horror movies being screened. About two dozen of the attractions are animatronic, and a path that lets visitors check it all out in detail.

Brothers Jason and Jeremy Bauer elaborately decorate their parents home in rural Elgin for the Halloween season. (Jason Bauer)

The devilish design is the handiwork of 31-year-old twin brothers Jason and Jeremy Bauer, who are passionate about the holiday.

“Our birthdays are in early October, and we’ve always loved everything about Halloween. As kids we even made our rooms into haunted houses,” Jason said.

Jason lives at the home with his parents, while Jeremy and his family live in nearby Hampshire. The two have been decorating the family home for years, but things kicked into high gear in 2021 thanks to a gift they received from their 8th grade teacher at Kimball Middle School in Elgin.

“She was moving from Gilberts to California,” Jason said. “She knew we were into the holiday and wanted to find a home for her own Halloween decorations collection. So we’re building on her legacy.”

Both brothers work in the highway construction field, which gives them access to floodlights they can borrow to set up their displays at night to be ready for viewing by the first weekend in October.

The Bauer house in unincorporated Elgin is scary by day, but not nearly as frightening as it is when the sun is down, the scene is lit up and the animatronic figures come to life. Twin brothers Jason and Jeremy Bauer love Halloween and have been building their collection of holiday decor every year. (Jason Bauer)

In addition to putting out and securing several hundred seasonal pieces, the men also put security cameras in place to prevent anyone from making off with their collection. They’ve never put a dollar amount on what it’s all worth, but Jason said some of the bigger pieces sell for $400 or more.

Their parents are onboard as long as their sons do the work, dad Wayne Bauer said. “We just donate the land. They do a splendid job,” he said.

Mom Debbie Bauer likes to get in on the fun by handing out candy to visitors from a cauldron at the end of the driveway. The family also puts out a box to collect canned goods on behalf of a friend who volunteers at two local food pantries. It’s their way of thanking them for storing some of the decorations in their basement, the family said.

While anybody can drive by at any time to view the home, the Bauers typically man their operation Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings so people can walk through the displays.

With additional attention from social media and YouTube this year, the number of people stopping to take a look has grown, the brothers said.

“Our busiest night so far was Saturday (Oct. 18). We had more than 100 cars come by,” Jason said.

A giant illuminated skeleton lords it over the chaotic Halloween scene that is the Bauer family front yard at Highland Avenue and Pollitt Drive in unincorporated Elgin as seen in this screenshot from a Facebook reel posted by Justin Roman. (Justin Roman Facebook reel)

The family has even received fan mail about their display, and among the people they’ve met are tourists from England, India and China, they said.

“A woman from the UK stopped by as we were closing last Saturday. She was astounded,” Jason said.

With Halloween on a Friday this year, they’ll be taking down the display on the weekend that follows. But the Christmas season is right around the corner…

“We decorate then, too, just not as elaborately as for Halloween,” said Wayne Bauer. “But we do light up the neighborhood.”

Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/24/elgin-halloween-house-decorated-bauer/