‘It was a dark and stormy night . . .’

HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL—The Krovetz home on Carsamba Drive in Calabasas has lots of Halloween decorations, even scary landscaping. It’s a frightening scene. Witches, skeletons and ghosts reside in the nooks and crannies of the Krovetz house throughout the year, not just Halloween. That’s because the Calabasas family has so much Halloween décor there’s no room to store it all.

Trick-or-treaters beware! The scary home at 22737 Carsamba Drive off Paul Revere Drive is sure to spike your skin and make you scream. But those who love Halloween as much as Lissa Golden-Krovetz does, can’t help but appreciate the season’s magic.

“The problem with Halloween is that it’s so limited,” said Golden-Krovetz. “It’s (too) seasonal.”

Golden-Krovetz and her husband, Bill Krovetz, started setting up their Halloween house toward the end of September and just finished last week, although they still have some fine-tuning left to do before the big night.

“All family and friends know not to make plans for the month of October,” Golden-Krovetz said. She and her husband keep busy decorating their home and scouting other haunted houses for ideas. “I kind of pride myself on being an expert,” she said.

The Krovetz couple spends thousands of dollars on Halloween props, accessories and decorations. All through the year GoldenKrovetz and her husband visit Halloween trade shows and stock up on Halloween props. “My motto is, Halloween isn’t just for October,” she said.

Among other attractions, trick-or-treaters who come to the home can expect to see a a hill that looks like a graveyard, plus ghouls, skeletons, and massive spider webs with the monstrous creatures that spin the webs.

While Calabasas will most likely have clear skies on All Hallows Eve, you can bet the Krovetz hillside will be hit by thunder, lightning and fog.

But these effects aren’t nature’s elements—they cost money. During October, the electricity bill at the Krovetz house skyrockets. Think Chevy Chase in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”

“It’s moot,” GoldenKrovetz said. “We’re going to (decorate) anyway. That just goes with the territory.”

So why is Halloween such a big thrill to the Calabasas family?

“I’ve loved Halloween ever since I was little,” Golden-Krovetz said. “I love the creativity. I love the imagination. I like going back to childhood. I guess when I was little, my parents always made Halloween special for me and when I had my kids, I wanted to make it special for them.”

The challenge now is knowing when to say when.

“I just want so much,” Golden-Krovetz said. “I want everything I see. The biggest problem is pulling the reins in on me because if I could, I would just have so much more stuff . . . Where other people get so engrossed for Christmas, this is it for me.”

The payoff for all the hard work and money that GoldenKrovetz puts into Halloween is when neighborhood children tell her they go to sleep at night looking out at her Halloween lights, dreaming of All Hallows Eve.

The payoff also comes when visitors drive by and marvel at the decorations.

Golden-Krovetz said she started decorating her home for her children, but with only one child, a 19-yearold, still at home, the satisfaction has become personal.

Bill Krovetz said he enjoys Halloween just as much as his wife. But it wasn’t always that way. The fun seems to have grown.

“It was part of the vows,” Krovetz said. “You want to talk about baggage.”

The Halloween spirit can be infectious. Krovetz said her neighbors are even joining in the fun this year. Soon, you won’t be able to tell which witch is which.

For all the trick-or-treaters out there eager to put on a costume and fill that hallowed plastic pumpkin, you’ve only got four more days to wait!