Local Halloween display is better than a trip to Disneyland

For you ghosts, ghouls, and goblins hunting for a haunting experience this Halloween, where things do go bump in the night, you need to go no further than 4427 Santa Monica – if you dare.

“Each year I add something new to my Halloween display,” said Wayne Smith, former editor for Disney Productions. “This year I have added a scene right out of Disney’s Haunted Mansion attraction.”

Eerily displayed in Smiths’ front window are three skeletons playing cards at a floating table. In the center, a crystal ball containing the head of a woman speaking to the dead, played by Wayne’s wife Pam.

“The skeleton sitting at the head of the table is me, I’m dead,” Wayne said, explaining the backstory. “In my hand is a picture of my lovely wife Pam, who is also dead. I drafted her for the role of Madame Leona, whose head is encased in a crystal ball. We are having a séance, trying to see if we can bring our spirits back.”

For Pam, portraying the iconic Madam Leona from the Haunted Mansion, required hours in the makeup chair as Wayne applied layers of gooey, sticky white makeup to create the perfect cast of her face.

“I had to sit perfectly still for three hours and couldn’t say a single word,” said Pam. “Wayne has a very creative mind. Being a part of his unique world is a lot of fun, although I will apply my makeup from now on.”

The cards held by the skeletons are Hologram’s; the images change as you walk past, just like they do at Disneyland and in the movie “Haunted Mansion.”

On Halloween, visitors to Wayne and Pan’s haunted house will be allowed to stroll down, “The Pathway Of Doom,” where they will encounter a maze of singing pumpkins, flying ghosts, talking tombstones, and an automated coffin. It’s like a visit to Disneyland but better. It’s free.

The passion driving Wayne’s love for all things Disney stems from the years he worked for Disneyland and Disney Productions. He started as a costumed character and worked his way up to Disney’s video department and the Disney Channel. He brings that expertise to Ocean Beach each year on Halloween and again on Christmas with his unique displays.