REVIEW: the vandy manor

November 6, 2025

REVIEW: the vandy manor

Dick Van Dyke has been entertaining multiple generations and offering creative inspiration for longer than most people have been alive. His brilliant career as a performer and actor has received innumerable accolades for his work in radio, theater, film, and television. Van Dyke’s creative output is so rich and broad that he has different worlds of fans devoted to particular roles he has played, from Rob Petrie (The Dick Van Dyke Show) to Bert (Mary Poppins). We tend to gravitate towards his more obscure contributions to the world of Halloween, where he and his wife Arlene Van Dyke have created their annual, invite-only haunt, The Vandy Manor.

For a better part of the past four decades, Van Dyke has been showcasing his handmade and store-bought monsters to the delight of family, friends, and neighbors. His horror collection, which spans back to the late 1950s, represents decades of Halloween purchases. The front of his house that lines the street is decorated with masks, heads, and grotesqueries that tell the tale of how Halloween has evolved throughout the years. Jack-o’-lanterns carved with Van Dyke’s self-portrait caricature illuminate the night as animatronics jump to life, giving a frightening jolt to passers-by. These animatronics, created by the legendary builders at Distortions Unlimited, are shipped from the company’s warehouse in Colorado and assembled in-person by the owners and their team. One of these animatronics, an enormous eight-foot head of a wizardly Van Dyke, comes to life every few minutes and spits out fog as Van Dyke's iconic voice recites Vincent Price's monologue from the song “Thriller” and prose from Edgar Allan Poe. 

This year also brought in a new collaborator - monster maker Casey Wong - who many know from his work in film and at Universal Halloween Horror Nights. As requested by Van Dyke, Wong brought in his own recreation of Lon Chaney from “The Phantom of the Opera” - complete with an era specific makeup kit. (Chaney, known as “The Man of a Thousand Faces", famously did his own makeup in order to transform into his ghoulish characters.) This fantastic tableau of the Phantom lurked behind the gate of Van Dyke’s front porch, glowering at each trick-or-treater as they grabbed a piece of candy from the giant cauldron below.

While visitors were being frightened by spitting animatronic monsters and ghoulish creatures, Arlene Van Dyke offered dazzling entertainment via her musical numbers featured on the makeshift stage built in front of the family garage. For years it has become a tradition for her to come out as Ursula and perform "Poor Unfortunate Souls" and dance to pop songs like Billie Eilish’s "Bury a Friend" and Chappell Roan’s "HOT TO GO!". Between her performances there was entertainment from magicians, puppeteers, and our favorite Magic Castle luminary: the flaming hamburger juggler, Michael Rayner.

As Van Dyke approaches his 100th birthday, we would like to appreciate how impressive it is that he is still haunting. Thanks to the help of his wife Arlene, he has elevated Halloween to new heights - creating a wonderfully magical world for his neighbors and special guests to enjoy. Arlene and Dick’s creative collaboration truly celebrates their love of Halloween, and more importantly - their love for each other. 

VC

November 06 ,2025