Halloween spending boosts Tri-State Area economy due to extravagant decorations, costumes
The amount of money Americans are expected to spend on Halloween has nearly doubled in the last decade.
Between extravagant decorations, candy and costumes, this year's spending is expected to hit $13.5 billion. It's a boom to economies across the Tri-State Area.
CBS News New York's Dick Brennan went across the area to find out why people love the spooky season so much and why death and darkness sell.
In Bloomfield, New Jersey, Otis Alston has built a kind of dead man's Disneyland.
His house is mobbed with skeletons, animatronic displays, tombstones, pumpkins and much more. Alston says he knows exactly how to take it to the next level.
"I have to use real pumpkins so they can rot and decay and go with the scene. You can't have nice pumpkins out here. The pumpkins have to have flies. They have to have maggots on them. They have to be molded and rotten," he said.
One woman who passed by said she was mesmerized by it.
Alston said people are drawn to his home and Halloween because of the free-spirited nature of the holiday.
"I think it's because you can be, act, do whatever you want, and be bat-crazy and nobody's gonna care. Nobody's gonna say anything or do anything," he said.
James Joanow, who runs Joanow Holiday Displays, echoed the sentiment.
"I think it's the only time of year you could be someone or something that you're not. You could dress up and be different, and you go around and have fun. It's just a fun holiday," he said
Joanow and his team have created elaborate displays for years with skeletons, lights and other decorations.
Influencer Becky Galentine, also known online as My Bloody Galentine, keeps the Halloween spirit year-round.
Her day job is being an embalmer, and at night, she is a paranormal investigator. She also travels to the most haunted locations in the region on the weekends.
"I live and breathe the spooky life, basically," she said.
Her videos garner millions of views while helping drive the Halloween craze.
Cultural historian Larry Samuel said Halloween is celebrated best as a public experience.
"When do we open our doors to strangers? You know, we have disconnected ourselves from a civic community. We not only open the doors, we give them candy. This is really a very odd thing, if you think about it, but it serves a really important social purpose, also by turning things upside down," he said.
