KENNEBUNK — In celebration of the Halloween spirit and things that go bump in the night, the Siefker family have transformed their stately home at 36 Storer St., a block from the center of Kennebunk, into an eerie playground for ghosts, goblins, witches and a host of other creatures. It is quite a project and was set up and in full glory on Oct. 1.

They are welcoming guests and trick or treaters to their phantasmagoria of spirits on Halloween night. In case of rain, the action will take place on the following evening. In addition to the usual assortment rewards of chocolates and candies, treaters can opt for non-sugar treats for those with a restricted dietary intake along with stickers and little toys.

The Siefker children, Wyatt (2nd Grade) and Elizabella (3rd grade), both students at Kennebunk Elementary School, have been a big part of the planning and execution. Elizabella will be casting her spells on the guests as the “Mean Witch” and her mother Sarah will be the “Good Witch” doling out the goodies.

Wyatt’s job on Halloween night will be at the controls of the fog machine and he assures us that there will be a host of zombies, monsters, and dancing skeletons that will appear on the animated screen that used to be the household’s picture window.

Rats, bats, and severed heads lurk around every corner and spooky spiders and oversized hairy tarantulas climb the walls of the house. Glowing pumpkins litter the lawn which has been transformed into a cemetery, complete with gravestones an open casket of some unfortunate ghoul.

Most conspicuous is the family of skeletons, a bride and groom, comfortably seated as the welcome party. The groom is adorned with a top hat and the bride sports a bouquet of black flowers. They are accompanied by a bevvy of white boned children and have even brought the family pet, a skeletal bird in a cage to the scene.

I met father James Siefker as he was manicuring the grass in the cemetery with the lawnmower. A fine caretaker in plain clothes but on Halloween night he will be costumed as the living spirit of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, from the movie “Nightmare before Christmas.” 

The Siefker will be welcoming guests and trick or treaters on Halloween night from 5 to 9 p.m.  Drive by and take a look at their “Lawn of the Dead.”