Queens man puts 40 hours of labor into Halloween decorations

HOWARD BEACH, Queens (PIX11) — Enter Gary Robertson’s backyard of Halloween horrors — only if you dare. The Howard Beach father of two boys has put in at least 40 hours for this labor of love and thrills.

He’s also participating in the scariest Halloween house contest in Howard Beach on Oct. 28, competing against dozens of other equally frightening abodes.

Why does he do it?

“Just for the love of it all,” Robertson, a resident at 163rd Drive in the Hamilton Beach section, told PIX11 News.

Robertson’s 8-year-old son Jaden showed PIX11 his favorite scary corner, the boneyard with two huge skeletons and a frightening coffin. His 6-year-old brother Chase loves the scary pumpkin patch.

Their mother, who grew up in the Philippines, never saw a Halloween backyard like this one.

“It’s a little scary at night,” Mary Robertson told PIX11 News.

The founder of the Facebook group Howard Beach Dads created the Halloween contest four years ago.

“I do this because I care about the kids. I do it because I care about the community,” founder PJ Marcel said. “We need to have fun, exciting, engaging events for children.”

These are just some of the houses on the route: