A Haltom City home known for its over-the-top Christmas light displays is tricked out early for a Halloween treat: The Gonzalez family’s “Wisdom Way Lights” features a synchronized show in which lit-up props “dance” to music and film clips from three popular movies illuminated on an LED screen.
The main theme of the Halloween show is Minecraft, which is followed by Freddy Krueger from classic horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street, and then Netflix sensation KPop Demon Hunters. Total run time is about 13 minutes, and the show loops sequentially on repeat nightly, from 6:30-11 pm.
“This is actually our third year (for a Halloween show), but this is for sure the biggest one thus far,” says dad Jesse Gonzalez. “We really started noticing that the Halloween show was gaining popularity each year, and the neighborhood really seemed to enjoy it, so it, so we just continued the tradition.”
He, wife Angela, and their kids created the set-up in the front yard, which features a 12-foot “Steve” and 16-foot “Enderman” from Minecraft constructed out of plywood and foam. Other highlights include illuminated gravestones and bats in the yard, and spiders and a giant spiderweb on the house.
Detail of a giant “Minecraft” figure in the yard.Photo courtesy of Wisdom Way Lights
The film clips are projected on the garage, while a soundtrack that includes Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” “Steve’s Lava Chicken” from A Minecraft Movie, and “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters, plays on speakers.
Visitors can view the shows from their cars and listen to the audio on radio channel 87.9 FM.
On Halloween, they’ll offer an extra perk to trick-or-treaters: a free haunted house. It will run from 7-9:30 pm Friday, October 31.
“We will have tons of candy, and it’s open to everyone,” Gonzalez says.
After Halloween, the family will focus on their Christmas-season shows. The big Minecraft figures will stay up. Beyond that, “we haven’t fully decided on what we are doing for Christmas, but we have a some ideas,” he says.
The Gonzalezes have put up a larger-than-life, interactive lights displays since 2012, annually making CultureMap’s list of The Best Christmas Lights in Dallas-Fort Worth.
They base the themes of their “Wisdom Way Lights” (named for the street they live on) on pop culture trends – a tradition that has brought them a bit of fame and a lot of street traffic.
In 2020, during the pandemic days of social distancing and drive-by holiday attractions, their Selena-themed display attracted crowds from near and far. In 2023, their display depicting the Texas Rangers’ World Series win went viral.
The Wisdom Way Lights are at 4521 Wisdom Way, Haltom City, 76117. The Halloween-themed lights are on nightly from 6-11:30 pm, until November 2. They’re free to visit.
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